[Metyrapone test and plasma hormone estimations (author's transl)].

The usual metyrapone test based on the determination of the urinary steroid levels after ingestion of the product is relatively difficult to use because of its duration. In order to simplify this test, a comparative study was carried out with thirty subjects, 24 of whom were normal, by measuring their plasma hormonal levels by radioimmunoassay for ACTH, cortisol and aldosterone and by radiocompetition after extraction by carbon tetrachloride for the 11-desoxycortisol (S compound). The results show a parallel between the variation of the urinary steroid levels and the variations of plasma hormone levels during the first 24 hours of the test. Therefore, measuring the levels of ACTH, S compound and cortisol in the plasma before the ingestion of metyrapone and 24 hours afterwards seems simpler to carry out and accurate enough to test the integrity of the feed-back system between hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands.