To test for hypothalamic dysfunction a combination of tests which include MRI or CT scans and blood tests will be done and even potentially stimulation tests to assess your body's response to hormone stimulation.
The blood tests for hypothalamic dysfunction will test for and measure your hormone levels.
Pituitary Hormones such as adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), growth hormone (GH), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and prolactin are measured in the blood test.'
Thyroid Hormones such as TSH, T4 and T3 as well as steroid hormones such as cortisol levels, estrogen levels and testosterone levels as well as sodium levels, electrolyte levels and blood and urine osmolality are tested for in blood tests when diagnosing and testing for hypothalamic dysfunction.
Imaging scans that are done for testing hypothalamic dysfunction are MRI which can visualize your brain and hypothalamus to check for any tumors and structural abnormalities and damage.
And a CT scan is another imaging test which can help to identify any issues in your brain and hypothalamus.
Visual field tests as well as ACTH stimulation tests are also often done to test for hypothalamic dysfunction.
If a tumor is suspected then a visual field test can assess for any vision loss and an ACTH stimulation tests is where ACTH is administered to see if your adrenal glands respond by producing cortisol.
Other tests that may be done for hypothalamic dysfunction are insulin tolerance tests which measures GH levels before and after administering the insulin to asses your GH function and a Metyrapone test, which is a test which blocks the production of cortisol to assess your pituitary gland's response to ACTH deficiency.
A brain MRI cannot detect microscopic brain injuries, early stage cancers or bone.
Although a brain MRI is great for visualizing soft tissues, bleeding, some brain tumors and structural abnormalities but it can't detect everything.
Brain MRIs cannot always detect cancer, especially if the tumors are small and the cancer is in it's early stage and sometimes MRIs may provide unclear images of certain things in the brain which can be hard to read and find any problems.
The conditions that a brain MRI can detect are structural abnormalities, bleeding in the brain, infections, traumatic brain injuries, strokes, multiple sclerosis and brain tumors.
A brain MRI can also detect degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.
Common conditions which are diagnosed with a brain MRI are stroke, brain tumors, traumatic brain injuries, multiple sclerosis, infections, bleeding, dementia, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, dementia and even Epilepsy.
A brain MRI can help the doctor assess any brain changes that are associated with Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.
A brain MRI can also hep to identify any structural changes in your brain which can indicate you have dementia.
A brain MRI can also reveal and show any aneurysms which are bulges in blood vessels and even hydrocephalus which is fluid buildup in your brain and any other structural issues.
A brain MRI can also show and identify any subdural hematomas and subarachnoid hemorrhages and any other types of bleeding in the brain.
Brain abscesses and meningitis can also be detected in a brain MRI and an MRI can also show lesions or areas of damage in your brain and spinal cord which can indicate that you have multiple sclerosis and can also help to show any progression of the multiple sclerosis.
MRI of the brain can also detect cancerous and non cancerous tumors of the brain and also show their size, location and type.
A brain MRI can also identify any ischemic strokes that are caused by blocked blood vessels and hemorrhagic strokes that are caused by bleeding in the brain.