Individual 17-ketosteroid (17-KS) excretion and its response to dexamethasone (DXM) inhibition as well as corticotrophin (ACTH) and human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) stimulation was measured by paper chromatography in a case of arrhenoblastoma. The pattern of the excretion was within normal limits on 2 control days. After ACTH stimulation there was an increase of dehydroepiandrosterone (DEA) and of ll-oxy-17-ketosteroids (11-oxy-17-KS) only. No change of androsterone (A) and etiocholanolone (E) was noted. On dexamethasone suppression a marked drop of all components was observed. DEA and ll-oxy-17-KS excretion was very low throughout the suppression period. There was also a pronounced decrease in the excretion of the A and E fraction, its value being 0.840-1.680 mg. HCG stimulation had no effect on the excretion of any of the 17-KS. On the grounds of these results it was thought that neither the excretion pattern at rest nor the DXM suppression test could facilitate the diagnosis of the tumor preoperatively. The hypothesis, however, is advanced that a negative HCG test under adrenal suppression in a case of marked hirsutism would indicate that the hirsutism is due to either adrenal pathology or ovarian tumor.

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