Clinical studies of thyrotropin and thyrotropin-releasing-hormone

Abstract

Most clinical studies with thyrotropin have utilized bovine TSH since human TSH has not been available, but more general use of the latter may be possible in the near future. The use of BTSH has been limited to stimulation testing of thyroid function, and the compound has shown lesser, but occasional, usefulness in the treatment of metastatic thyroid carcinoma.

The radioimmunoassay of HTSH has largely replaced the TSH stimulation test in the differential diagnosis of hypothyroidism and has become a valuable tool in the management of thyroid disease. More recently the availability of synthetic TRH has opened a new aspect to the understanding of hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid interrelationships. The TRH test has also become important in the diagnosis and management of thyroid disease. The role of TRH in the therapy of hypothalamic or thyroid disease is yet to be determined and its usefulness in psychological investigations will no doubt be studied further.