A triple bolus test or a dynamic pituitary function test is a medical diagnostic procedure used to assess a patient's pituitary function. Three hormones (usually synthetic analogues) are injected as a bolus into the patient's vein to stimulate the anterior pituitary gland: insulin, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), and thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH). The gland's response is assessed by measuring cortisol, growth hormone (GH), prolactin, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) hormone levels. Blood glucose levels are also monitored for hypoglycemia. A triple bolus test is usually ordered and interpreted by endocrinologists.

The triple bolus test was introduced in 1973 by physicians from the London Royal Postgraduate Medical School and Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham. It followed earlier reports combining insulin and vasopressin analogues in the diagnosis of hypopituitarism.

See also

• Hypopituitarism
• Insulin tolerance test

References