title: Comparison of serum calcitonin levels after a 1-minute calcium injection and after pentagastrin injection in the diagnosis of medullary thyroid carcinoma.
abstract: A 1-min calcium injection was compared with a pentagastrin injection as provocative measures in stimulating calcitonin secretion in 4 patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma. In all cases the calcium injection resulted in a greater rise in serum calcitonin concentration. The patients tolerated the calcium injection well. However, two patients experienced substernal pressure and dyspnea following the pentagastrin injection. It is concluded that a 1-min calcium injection is a safe, rapid and effective procedure in the diagnosis of medullary thyroid carcinoma.
mesh_terms: D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood*; D002118:Calcium; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D010418:Pentagastrin; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D002116:Calcitonin; D010418:Pentagastrin; D002118:Calcium