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DDAVP for Pituitary Adenoma in Cushing's Disease

This study is investigating if a medication called Desmopressin acetate (DDAVP), combined with a special type of scan called PET imaging, can help find small pituitary tumors in people with Cushing's disease. These tumors can be hard to see on regular MRI scans. You might be able to join if you are 8 years or older, have Cushing's disease, and your MRI scan either didn't show a tumor or showed a "possible tumor." The main goal is to see if this DDAVP-stimulated PET imaging can successfully show where the tumor is located in cases where an MRI didn't clearly show it. The study's current status is unclear, and it plans to enroll 22 participants.

Study design
This is a single-institution study. It is an interventional study, meaning participants will receive a specific treatment, and plans to enroll 22 people.
What's involved
You would receive Desmopressin acetate intravenously, followed by intravenous FDG for PET imaging about four hours later. Within 12 weeks of the PET scan, you would undergo surgery to remove the pituitary adenoma.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
The primary outcome, whether DDAVP-stimulated PET imaging shows a tumor, is measured at baseline.

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NCT04569591

DDAVP for Pituitary Adenoma

Recruiting
NAAges 8–99InterventionalDiagnostic
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
~22 participants
Updated 2026-04-09 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Desmopressin acetate

At a glance

Recruiting sites
1 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
The primary outcome measure will be defined as whether or not DDAVP-stimulated PET imaging demonstrates tumor in MRI-negative cases.
Measured over Baseline

Conditions

Cushing's Disease
Pituitary Adenoma

Explore related trials

Cushing DiseasePituitary Neuroendocrine Tumor

NCT04569591

Where you'd take part

This study runs at 1 site. They're the same protocol — you choose where, and that choice sets who your contact draft is addressed to.

  • National Institutes of Health Clinical Center

    Bethesda, Marylandstudy coordinator listed

    Recruiting

Sites open and close at different times, so the status above is per site — it can differ from the study's overall status.

Study leadership

  • Prashant Chittiboina, M.D. · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Who to contact

Christina P Hayes, C.R.N.P.
[email protected]
(301) 496-2921
Email the study team

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Eligibility criteria

Exclusion

Vasopressors: phenylephrine, dopamine and vasopressin
Drugs that can worsen hyponatremia: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) within 4 days of testing, loop diuretics (bumetanide, ethacrynic acid, furosemide, torsemide), chlorpromazine, chlorpropamide, cisplatin, opiate agonists within 48 hours of testing, and/or vincristine.
Drugs that interfere with DDAVP duration of action or potency: carbamazepine, lamotrigine, and/or tolvaptan 8. Habitual or psychogenic polydipsia, due to increased risk of hyponatremia 9. History of Type IIB von Willebrand s disease due to risk for thrombosis. 10. Elevated blood glucose level above 200 mg/dL on the day of the scan prior to FDG administration. 11. Known intolerance to DDAVP
Children: Children age 8 and older are included in this protocol. More than half of the subjects with CD requiring transsphenoidal surgery at the NIH are children. The knowledge gained by the use of DDAVP PET imaging in children with MR-invisible tumors will provide generalizable knowledge in the treatment of CD in this population. Children under the age of 8 usually require anesthesia for a PET scan, which involves greater risk. Therefore, children under the age of 8 will be excluded from participation.
Pregnant or lactating women: Pregnant and lactating women will be excluded from participation. The PET radiopharmaceutical used in this study can be harmful to a developing fetus. Therefore women who are able to become pregnant will have a pregnancy test performed within 24 hours before PET imaging. Individuals will not be able to participate in PET scanning if the pregnancy test results positive.

What this trial measures

  • The primary outcome measure will be defined as whether or not DDAVP-stimulated PET imaging demonstrates tumor in MRI-negative cases.Baseline

    This endpoint will help justify whether pituitary adenomas that are invisible on MRI can be seen via another modality in order to improve tumor detection and preoperative planningdemonstrates tumor in MRI-negative cases. This will be demonstrated by assessing the accuracy and sensitivity of 18F-FDG high-resolution PET-imaging detection of ACTH-adenomas that could not be reliably detected on MR-imaging. Measures will include determining the rate of true tumor detection using PET-imaging compared to histologically-confirmed tumor location.