Intraoperative scanning of the pituitary gland with high-frequency-ultrasound probes may identify intrapituitary anatomy and pathologies even in MRI-negative cases. This may prevent extensive exploration of the gland with the risk of subsequent hypopituitarism.

Cardiovascular reflex tests are used extensively to screen diabetic patients for autonomic cardiac neuropathy. Since alcohol abuse must often be considered the cause of nerve damage in internally ill patients, we examined 66 nonalcoholic type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetics and 63 nondiabetic alcoholics matched for age, weight, and duration of disease to determine whether specific patterns of complaints, symptoms, signs, and results of the cardiovascular reflex tests can differentiate between alcoholic and diabetic nerve damages. In these carefully selected diabetic and alcoholic patients the medical history, clinical neurological assessment, and reflex test results all showed significant differences, resulting in different patterns which allow the correct allocation of nerve damage to either diabetic or alcoholic origin with easily available clinical means.

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