[Use of releasing hormones in endocrinological diagnosis]

The identification and synthesis of thyrotrophin-releasing hormone (TRH) and luteinising hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) has widened our knowledge of hypothalamo-hypophyseal-thyroid and hypothalamo-hypophyseal-gonad diseases. More precisely, administration of these two releasing factors, by permitting the evaluation of pituitary TSH, LH, and FSH reserves, reveals otherwise undefinable changes in hypophyseal function. An account of the manner of execution and measurement, the administration route, and side-effects related to TRH and LHRH tests is followed by a description of the main diseases in which they offer the greatest degree of diagnostic assistance.