Application of a simple urinary 11-deoxy-17-oxosteroid assay to the study of adrenocortical function in a selected group of hirsute women

Using a relatively simple 11-deoxy-17-oxosteroid assay a group of hirsute patients have been studied before and following the administration of ACTH. These patients were selected on the basis that each showed an exaggerated response of urinary testosterone excretion to ACTH stimulation. Fifteen of eighteen patients were found to show an exaggerated urinary 11-deoxy-17-oxosteroid response to ACTH stimulation in addition to the excessive urinary testosterone response, suggesting that dysfunction of the adrenal cortex might be a factor contributing to the hirsutism of these fifteen patients.