[Diagnostic and therapeutic use of dexamethasone suppression in some cases of hirsutism with elevated plasma testosterone (author's transl)].

A group of 11 hirsute women with elevated total plasma testosterone (no ovaric neoplasia detectable) was studied by dexamethasone suppression test. Suppression to within normal limits was in 5 patients by dexamethasone alone. After a 5 month continuous therapy ovulation was restored and hirsutism reduced. Suppression was obtained in the other 6 patients only with estroprogestins. These results suggest an interesting hypothesis: hypertestosteronemias related to anovulation might be divided in two classes, the first one in which testosterone is synthetized from adrenal prehormones, the second one in which testosterone is synthetized from acetate.