Combined testing of anterior pituitary gland with insulin, thyrotropin-releasing hormone, and luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone.

Provocative tests of hypothalamic-pituitary function were performed in 20 healthy subjects to learn whether the simultaneous testing by three agents--insulin, thyrotropin-releasing hormone, and luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone--was feasible. The responses to simultaneous testing on one day did not differ significantly from those to testing on three separate days. The time and expense of pituitary-hypothalamic testing can thus be much reduced with no impairment of reliability and with no increased risk to the patient.