Adrenal Venous Sampling Results Research Articles

FRI145 Prevalence Of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus And Risk Factors For Its Development In Patients With Primary Aldosteronism

Abstract Disclosure: M. Araujo-Castro: None. M. Paja Fano: None. M. González Boillos: None. B. Pla Peris: None. E. Pascual-Corrales: None. A. García Cano: None. P. Parra: None. P. Martín Rojas-Marcos: None. J. Ruiz-Sanchez: None. A. Vicente Delgado: None. E. Gómez Hoyos: None. R. Ferreira: None. I. García Sanz: None. M. Recasens Sala: None. R. Barahona San Millan: None. M. Picón César: None. P. Díaz Guardiola: None. J. García González: None. C.M. Perdomo: None. L. Manjón Miguélez: None. R. García Centeno: None. Á. Rebollo Román: None. P. Gracia Gimeno: None. C. Robles Lázaro: None. M. Morales-Ruiz: None. M. Calatayud Gutiérrez: None. S. Simone Andree Furio Collao: None. D. Meneses: None. M. Sampedro Nuñez: None. V. Escudero Quesada: None. E. Mena Ribas: None. A. Sanmartin Sánchez: None. C. Gonzalvo Diaz: None. C. Lamas: None. F. Hanzu: None. Purpose: To evaluate the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) and the risk factors for its development. Methods: A retrospective multicenter study of PA patients in follow-up in 27 Spanish tertiary hospitals (SPAIN-ALDO Register). Adrenal venous sampling (AVS) was informative of laterality in 128 out of 226 patients and adrenalectomy was performed in 201 patients. Unilateral PA was defined as biochemical cure after adrenalectomy or as a lateralization index in AVS > 2 with ACTH or >3 without ACTH stimulation. Results: Overall, 649 patients with PA were included. Median age was 55.5 (range 27.3-81.6) years, 59.1% were female and 58.5% had hypokalemia at diagnosis. A total of 224 patients were classified as unilateral PA (142 based on biochemical cure after adrenalectomy and 82 based also on AVS results) and 49 as bilateral PA. At diagnosis, 21.2% (n=137) had T2DM and 25 of them had microvascular complications, being diabetic kidney disease the most common (n=19). We identified as risk factors of type 2 diabetes: male sex (OR 2.80 [1.81-4.34], P<0.001), older age (OR 1.05 [1.03-1.07], P<0.001), familiar history of T2DM (OR 4.64 [2.39-8.99]), P<0.001), dyslipidemia (OR 4.05 [2.67-6.14], P<0.001), cardiovascular (OR 1.30 [1.14-1.48], P<0.001) and cerebrovascular disease (OR 1.59 [0.92-2.74], P=0.003), sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) (OR 2.21 [1.34-3.63], P=0.003), higher BMI (OR 1.06 per unit [1.03-1.10], <0.001), hypertension duration (OR 1.04 per year [1.02-1.06], P<0.001) and the number of antihypertensive drugs (OR 1.50 [1.29-1.74], P<0.0001). In the multivariant analysis, all these variables were independent risk factors for T2DM except for SAS, hypertension duration, sex, and BMI. No association was observed with plasma aldosterone concentration, potassium levels, unilaterality of PA or other parameters. No significant differences in the evolution of the glycemic control (fasting plasma glucose and HBA1c) were observed between T2DM who underwent surgery and those medically treated (P>0.05). Conclusion: Type 2 diabetes affects about one quarter of patients with PA and risk factors for its development are common than to the general population. Medical and surgical treatment provide a similar benefit in terms of glucose control in patients with PA and T2DM. Presentation: Friday, June 16, 2023

FRI140 Impact Of Circadian Rhythm Of Aldosterone And Cortisol Levels Upon Adrenal Vein Sampling In Primary Aldosteronism

Abstract Disclosure: M. Kometani: None. M. Yoneda: None. K. Aiga: None. D. Aono: None. S. Karashima: None. Y. Takeda: None. T. Yoneda: None. Purpose: Adrenal venous sampling (AVS) is the gold standard technique for subtype differentiation of primary aldosteronism (PA). AVS is an invasive and challenging test; however, because of the high frequency of PA, it is currently performed at many institutions in Japan. Considering the effects of diurnal variations in the levels of aldosterone and cortisol, the guidelines recommends that AVS without ACTH loading should be performed in the morning. However, owing to staffing issues and general limitations, AVS is performed in the afternoon in many facilities. In this study, we examined the effects of AVS timing (AM/PM) on AVS results. Methods: This multicenter, retrospective, observational study included a total of 753 patients diagnosed with PA at four specialized institutions. The patients were divided into two groups according to the timing of the AVS procedure. The group classification of patients according to the time of the day when AVS was performed was not prospectively designed but rather determined based on feasible conditions at each facility. Among them, 504 and 249 patients underwent AVS in the morning (AM-AVS) and in the afternoon (PM-AVS), respectively. Results: The success rate of basal AVS in the AM-AVS group was 81% and that of ACTH-stimulated AVS was 92%. The success rate of basal AVS in the PM-AVS group was 74% and that of ACTH-stimulated AVS was 88%. There was no significant difference in the AVS success rate between the AM-AVS and PM-AVS groups. There was no significant difference between the AM-AVS and PM-AVS groups concerning the rate of unilateral diagnosis by AVS before ACTH stimulation, the rate of unilateral PA diagnosis by AVS after ACTH stimulation, and the percentage of cases with discrepancies between the two AVSs. Regarding patients with unilateral PA, aldosterone concentrations in adrenal venous blood did not differ between the two groups on the dominant or non-dominant side. Conversely, regarding patients with bilateral PA, aldosterone concentrations in adrenal venous blood were significantly higher in the AM-AVS than in the PM-AVS group. Conclusions: This study evaluated the effect of AVS timing. Although this was a multicenter study, there were no differences in the success rate of AVS, diagnostic rate of subtype, or frequency of deviation in the subtypes between the AM-AVS and PM-AVS groups. These results are relevant for facilities that can perform AVS only in the afternoon. Concerning aldosterone levels, no differences were observed between patients with unilateral lesions in the AM-AVS and PM-AVS groups, whereas its levels were different between patients with bilateral lesions in the AM-AVS and PM-AVS groups, suggesting the involvement of different mechanisms that regulate aldosterone secretion according to the circadian rhythm in patients with unilateral or bilateral lesions. Presentation: Friday, June 16, 2023

Evaluation of standardized uptake value on 131I-6β-iodomethyl-19-norcholesterol scintigraphy for diagnosis of primary aldosteronism and correspondence with adrenal venous sampling.

Adrenal venous sampling (AVS) is a reliable method for lateralization of adrenal hormone secretion, which is important for discriminating between aldosterone-producing adenoma and bilateral adrenal hyperplasia, both of which cause primary aldosteronism (PA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the maximum and mean standardized uptake values (SUVmax and SUVmean, respectively) of 131I-6β-iodomethyl-19-norcholesterol (NP-59) single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) for PA and its correspondence with AVS. Adrenal NP-59 scintigraphy was performed in 14 patients with suspected PA, and AVS was also performed in 7 of them. SUVmax and SUVmean of the adrenal lesions on the dominant side and their ratios to the values on the non-dominant side (SUVRmax and SUVRmean, respectively) were calculated on SPECT images using ordered-subset conjugate gradient minimization (OSCGM) and three-dimensional ordered-subset expectation maximization (3D-OSEM) reconstruction algorithms. SUVmax and SUVmean on NP-59 SPECT images were significantly higher for aldosterone-producing adenoma than for bilateral adrenal hyperplasia or non-functioning adenoma and slightly superior to SUVRmax and SUVRmean (P = 0.0475 and P = 0.0447 vs. P = 0.124 and P = 0.132, respectively, with OSCGM). The respective areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curve for SUV and SUVR were 0.933 and 0.725 with OSCGM and 0.844 and 0.750 with 3D-OSEM, while SUVmax and SUVRmax had exactly the same diagnostic accuracy as SUVmean and SUVRmean. SUV and SUVR were associated with the diagnostic features on AVS and consistent with lateralization by AVS in most patients. In this study, SUV on NP-59 SPECT helped in the diagnosis of PA and was consistent with the results of AVS in nearly all cases.

ACTH-Independent Cushing's Syndrome Caused by an Ectopic Adrenocortical Adenoma in the Renal Hilum.

We report a rare case of Cushing’s syndrome induced by an ectopic adrenocortical adenoma. A 57-year-old woman was diagnosed with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-independent Cushing’s syndrome based on clinical manifestation and laboratory information. She was found to have a mass in the left renal hilum via contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT). The mass was negative, as seen in somatostatin receptor imaging with 99mTc-hydrazinonicotinyl-Tyr3-octreotide (HYNIC-TOC), and showed mild fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) activity via positron emission tomography (PET)/CT. The results of adrenal venous sampling suggested a left-side adrenal origin of hypercortisolism, possibly secreted by the mass in the renal hilum. Histopathology after surgical resection of the mass confirmed an ectopic adrenocortical adenoma, which was responsible for the patient’s Cushing’s syndrome. During the 8-month follow-up after surgery, no recurrence of Cushing’s syndrome was found.

Mild Autonomous Cortisol Secretion in Primary Aldosteronism Enhances Renal and Hemorrhagic Cerebrovascular Complications

Background: It is well known that primary aldosteronism (PA) is often associated with renal dysfunction and cardiovascular events (CVEs). However, the synergic effect of mild autonomous cortisol secretion (MACS) on the co-morbidities among PA has not been clarified yet. Thus, we retrospectively assessed whether the presence of MACS in PA patients with adrenal tumor, which may have MACS, to enhance the risk of the complications using a large Japanese multicenter database. Methods: We enrolled patients with both confirmed PA and obvious adrenal tumor (diameter > 1 cm) on computed tomography. The subtype of PA was diagnosed based on the results of adrenal venous sampling with ACTH stimulation. A total of 575 study subjects were stratified into two groups according to 1-mg dexamethasone suppression test (DST) results (cut-off post-DST serum cortisol 1.8 µg/dL): MACS group (N=174, 30.2%) and non-MACS group (N=401, 69.8%). Decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was defined as <60 ml/min per 1.73m2. Results: The percentage of unilateral PA between the MACS and non-MACS group was equivalent (50.0% vs. 48.1%). Prevalence of decreased eGFR in the MACS group was higher than in the non-MACS group [odds ratio (OR) 1.91, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.20–3.04, P=0.006]. Conversely, prevalence of MACS was higher in patients with decreased eGFR than those without decreased eGFR (42.7% vs 28.0%, P=0.008). Proteinuria was deteriorated with the increase in post-DST serum cortisol concentration as well as the basal plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) (P=0.028 and P<0.001, respectively), although PAC but not the presence of MACS was selected as an independent factor related with decreased eGFR. Prevalence of cerebral hemorrhage in the MACS group was higher than the non-MACS group. (OR 5.35, 95%CI 1.83–15.6, P=0.002). We found that MACS was the only significant factor which increased the odds of developing cerebral hemorrhage (OR 9.13, 95%CI 2.15–38.90, P=0.003). Prevalence of other CVEs between the two groups was similar. Regardless of the PA subtype, complication rate of decreased eGFR and cerebral bleeding in the MACS group were significantly or tend to be higher than non-MACS group. Conclusion: Our date strongly suggested that co-secretion of cortisol in PA directly and/or indirectly increase renal and cerebrovascular comorbidities. Given that MACS is common in PA, endocrinological testing with DST is recommended in PA patients, especially those with adrenal tumor on imaging. (Supported by Research Grants of AMED:JP17ek0109122, JP20ek0109352; National Center for Global Health and Medicine:27–1402, 30–1008), and Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, Japan (046).

Aldosterone- and cortisol-co-secreting adrenal tumors: an uneasy sum of well-known parts (review)

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most common form of secondary arterial hypertension. In patients with PA, more so than in the general population, there is a prevalence of insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis, and symptoms of depression; these conditions are more likely to manifest a gluco- rather than mineralocorticoid excess. This fact is of particular importance in light of recent studies that have shown that PA is often associated with glucocorticoid excess. Since the first reports of cases of combined secretion of aldosterone and cortisol in 1979, the number of cases of so-called Connshing syndrome has increased. An analysis of data from recent studies suggests that hypercortisolism in PA is closely associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular complications, metabolic disorders and post-surgical adrenal insufficiency. The most important diagnostic problem in adenomas with combined secretion is the risk of false interpretation of the results of adrenal venous sampling (AVS). The indications that suggest aldosterone-and-cortisol-co-producing adenoma are the lack of suppression of cortisol levels following a night test with 1mg of dexamethasone, and an adrenal tumo of over 2.5cm. As an alternative test capable of differentiating this type of tumor, a number of researchers have proposed measuring the level of so-called hybrid steroids in the peripheral plasma and urine. Taking into account the high prevalence and potential risks, ruling out of excess corisol secretion is obligatory in all cases of PA before AVS and when planning surgery.

Outcomes of Adrenal Venous Sampling in Patients with Bilateral Adrenal Masses and ACTH-Independent Cushing's Syndrome.

Management of patients with bilateral adrenal masses and ACTH-independent Cushing's syndrome (AICS) is challenging, as bilateral adrenalectomy can lead to steroid dependence and lifelong risk of adrenal crisis. Adrenal venous sampling (AVS) has been previously reported to facilitate lateralization for guiding adrenalectomy. The aim of the current study was to investigate the utility of AVS using protocol from study by Young et al. in the management of patients with bilateral adrenal masses and AICS. A retrospective review of all patients with bilateral adrenal masses and AICS who underwent AVS from 2008 to 2016 was performed. AVS for cortisol and epinephrine was performed with dexamethasone suppression. The adrenal vein to peripheral vein cortisol ratios and side-to-side cortisol lateralization ratios were calculated. AVS was successful in 8 of 9 patients. All 8 patients had AVS results indicating bilateral cortisol hypersecretion. Six patients underwent adrenalectomy: 3 had unilateral adrenalectomy of the larger size mass, 2 had bilateral adrenalectomy (both sides >4cm.) and 1 had stepwise bilateral adrenalectomy. Final pathology revealed macronodular adrenal hyperplasia in all 6 patients that underwent surgery. AVS was useful in excluding a unilateral adenoma as the source of AICS in this study of patients with bilateral adrenal masses and AICS. However, adrenal mass size influenced surgical decision making more than AVS results. More data are needed before AVS can be advocated as essential for management of patients with bilateral adrenal masses and AICS.

A Multi-institutional Comparison of Adrenal Venous Sampling in Patients with Primary Aldosteronism: Caution Advised if Successful Bilateral Adrenal Vein Sampling is Not Achieved.

In patients with primary aldosteronism (PA), adrenal venous sampling (AVS) is recommended to differentiate between unilateral (UNI) or bilateral (BIL) adrenal disease. A recent study suggested that lateralization could be predicted, based on the ratio of aldosterone/cortisol levels (A/C) between the left adrenal vein (LAV) and inferior vena cava (IVC), with a 100% positive predictive value (PPV). This study aimed to validate those findings utilizing a larger, multi-institutional cohort. A retrospective review was performed of patients with PA who underwent AVS from 2 tertiary-care institutions. Laterality was predicted by an A/C ratio of >3:1 between the dominant and non-dominant adrenal. AVS results were compared to LAV/IVC ratios utilizing the published criteria (Lt≥5.5; Rt≤0.5). Of 222 patients, 124 (57%) had UNI and 98 (43%) had BIL disease based on AVS. AVS and LAV/IVC findings were concordant for laterality in 141 (64%) patients (69 UNI, 72 BIL). Using only the LAV/IVC ratio, 54 (24%) patients with UNI disease on AVS who underwent successful surgery would have been assumed to have BAH unless AVS was repeated, and 24 (11%) patients with BIL disease on AVS may have been incorrectly offered surgery (PPV 70%). Based on median LAV/IVC ratios (left 5.26; right 0.31; BIL 2.84), no LAV/IVC ratio accurately predicted laterality. This multi-institutional study of patients with both UNI and BIL PA failed to validate the previously reported PPV of LAV/IVC ratio for lateralization. Caution should be used in interpreting incomplete AVS data to differentiate between UNI versus BIL disease and strong consideration given to repeat AVS prior to adrenalectomy.

PP.32.13

Objective: Adrenal venous sampling (AVS) is the preferred method to distinguish excess unilateral from bilateral aldosterone secretion in patients with primary aldosteronism. Although it is invasive and expensive conventional CT adrenal imaging is considered to be inferior to AVS. To examine whether 128-slice dual-source CT using strict standardized radiological diagnostic criteria may approach the diagnostic performance of AVS. Design and method: From May 2012 to August 2014 we performed both AVS and 128-slice dual-source CT in 50 consecutive patients with PA. AVS was pursued after correction of hypokalemia and adjustment of antihypertensive therapy, under continuous ACTH infusion. Blood samples were taken from both adrenal veins (AV) and the lower caval vein (LCV). Selective cannulation was defined as an AV/LCV ratio for cortisol of ≥3. Lateralization was defined as a dominant/non-dominant ratio for aldosterone-to-cortisol of ≥4. In addition suppression of the contralateral side was required. Computer tomography imaging was performed using 128-slice dual-source CT with a 1mm-thickness slice. As a diagnostic criterion of adrenal nodule on CT-scan a focal change > 7 mm was used. A diffuse thickening of adrenal limbs > 5 mm was thought to fit with adrenal hyperplasia. A unilateral change (adenoma/hyperplasia) was defined as a change within one single adrenal gland with normal contralateral gland. Bilateral abnormalities included bilateral adenomas and/or bilateral adrenal hyperplasia. Results: The cannulation failed in 2 (4%) subjects. No complications were observed during and after procedures. Twentythree patients (48%) demonstrated unilateral aldosterone production (14 left-sided, 9 right-sided), and 25 (48%) patients were characterized by bilateral aldosterone production. In 43,8% of the patients there was disagreement between results of AVS vs CT. In 11 subjects (22.9%) a unilateral change was found on CT-scan, while there was no lateralization on AVS. In 7 patients (14,6%) CT–scan revealed bilateral abnormalities or symmetrical normal adrenal glands whereas in AVS unilateral aldosterone secretion was observed. In 2 cases there was complete discordance between the affected sides as diagnosed by CT and AVS. Conclusions: Despite adopting strict radiological criteria to differentiate uni- from bilateral disease, the diagnostic performance of 128-slice dual-source CT-scan is inferior to that of AVS.

Abstract 402: Surgical Treatment Of Aldosterone Producing Adenoma Could Change Renovascular Hemodynamics –Decrement Of Resistive Index Evaluated By Renal Doppler Sonography–

Patients with untreated primary aldosteronism (PA) often show albuminuria, which is a predictor for the decrement of their eGFR after specific treatment. Although the appropriate treatment of PA patients results in reducing albuminuria, the mechanism is still unclear. We planned a prospective study to investigate the effects of aldosterone on renal hemodynamics. Renal Doppler sonography (RDS) is recognized as non-invasive device to evaluate renal hemodynamics. Renal resistive index (RI), which is calculated by peak-systolic (PSV) and end-diastolic (EDV) flow velocities (RI = (PSV - EDV) / PSV) measured by RDS, has been reported as a surrogate marker for renal function and tissue injury. Ninety four patients with aldosterone producing adenoma (APA) were participated; all of those fulfilled diagnostic criteria of PA and underwent adrenalectomy based on results of adrenal venous sampling. RDS was performed at baseline and followed at 1 and 12 months after adrenalectomy. Ninety one patients with essential hypertension were participated in this study as a control. All sonographic parameters were obtained at bilateral renal arteries including main tract, portal, segmental and interlobular parts and expressed as mean. Aldosterone, blood pressure (BP), albuminuria and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were followed throughout the study period. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) was defined as eGFR&lt;60 ml/min/1.73m2 or albuminuria≧30 mg/g creatinine. Initial RI in the patients with untreated APA at all compartment arteries were significantly higher than those in control subjects (0.70 v.s 0.67 at main tract, 0.67 v.s 0.64 at portal part, 0.64 v.s 0.60 at segmental part and 0.63 v.s 0.60 at interlobular part). With significant decrease in aldosterone (from 28.7 to 8.8ng/dl), albuminuria and eGFR significantly declined after adrenalectomy. RI also immediately showed significant declines to 0.67 at main tract, to 0.63 at portal part, to 0.61 at segmental part and to 0.60 at interlobular part, respectively, at 1 month and remained stable through the follow-up period. Furthermore, RI significantly decreased in the APA patients with or without CKD. Surgical treatment of APA could change renovascular hemodynamics according to the decrease of aldosterone.

Value of adrenal venous sampling in the subtype diagnosis of primary aldosteronism

To assess the diagnostic value of adrenal venous sampling (AVS) in the subtype diagnosis of primary aldosteronism (PA). The diagnosis of PA was made in 36 patients based on an elevated ratio of plasma aldosterone (ALD) to plasma rennin activity (PRA) (ARR) and confirmed tests (saline infusion or captopril challenge) in recent 3 years. All PA patients underwent adrenal computed tomographic scan (CT) and AVS. The diagnostic accuracy of CT and AVS in the subtype differentiation of PA were evaluated by comparing the differences of CT findings, AVS results and clinical outcomes. Fifteen of 36 patients (42%) had a final diagnosis of aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) and another 21 patients (58%) with bilateral adrenal hyperplasia (BAH). The level of ALD was significantly higher in APA group than that in BAH group (298.9 ± 91.0 vs 226.3 ± 59 ng/L, P < 0.05). PRA (ng×ml(-1)×h(-1)) in APA patients were markedly lower than that in BAH counterparts (0.18 ± 0.14 vs 0.28 ± 0.29 ng×ml(-1)×h(-1), P < 0.01). Consequently, ARR in APA group was evidently higher than that in BAH group (2444.7 ± 1405.2 vs 1550.0 ± 1059.8, P < 0.05). Plasma potassium in APA patients was lower than that in those with BAH (2.71 ± 0.57 vs 3.17 ± 0.40 mmol/L). But there was no statistic significance (P > 0.05). The CT findings were discordant with the AVS results in 27.8% of patients (10/36). The accuracy of adrenal CT scan was only 72.2% in the subtype diagnosis of PA, provided AVS was the gold standard for distinguishing between APA and BAH. Reliance on CT findings could lead to inappropriate management in 25% of PA patients. Conversely, the AVS results were concordant with the clinical outcomes in 94.4% of all patients. CT scan is not a reliable method of differentiating primary aldosteronism. Compared with CT, AVS is more accurate in establishing a correct diagnosis of primary aldosteronism. AVS should be performed routinely before operation in PA patients opting for adrenalectomy.

Discrepant Results of Adrenal Venous Sampling in Seven Patients with Primary Aldosteronism

Background: Adrenal venous sampling serves as a discrimination between uni- and bilateral forms of primary aldosteronism (PA). Even correctly performed adrenal venous sampling may lead to non-diagnostic results in some cases. Results: We describe 7 subjects with PA in whom correct cannulation of adrenal veins (high selectivity index defined as cortisol_(adrenal)/cortisol_(periphery) ratio) was associated with aldosterone (ALDO) suppression (ALDO/cortisol_(adrenal)/ALDO/cortisol_(periphery) ratio <1) in the left adrenal gland and in whom all subjects underwent a successful adrenalectomy on the right side. In 3 subjects, samples from the right side with lower selectivity indexes (1.11–1.7) compared to those samples with a higher index of selectivity (10.4–44.9) pointed to lateralization. Next, 2 subjects were operated because of relatively large adrenal masses in the right adrenal gland on CT despite ALDO suppression on this side. One subject presented with high selectivity indexes from the right side (19.5 and 37.6), but only one sample showed ALDO secretion. Patient 7 was treated with right-sided adrenalectomy despite a low lateralization index (ALDO/cortisol_(right)/ALDO/cortisol_(left) 1.78). Conclusions: Our results document some uncertainties in interpreting results of adrenal venous sampling in subjects with PA which may result from deep catheter insertion, anomalous venous drainage, or fluctuations in ALDO secretion.

Single-center Outcome of Laparoscopic Unilateral Adrenalectomy for Patients With Primary Aldosteronism: Lateralizing Disease Using Results of Adrenal Venous Sampling

To assess the clinical effect of the universal use of adrenal venous sampling and to investigate the characteristics of patients with primary aldosteronism undergoing laparoscopic adrenalectomy at a single tertiary care center. After the screening examination, confirmatory test, and computed tomography (CT) scans were completed, all patients with biochemically diagnosed hyperaldosteronism underwent adrenal venous sampling to differentiate unilateral disease from bilateral idiopathic hyperaldosteronism. A total of 174 consecutive patients with unilateral aldosterone excess underwent unilateral laparoscopic adrenalectomy. The surgically treated cohort was divided into 3 groups according to the CT findings. A total of 129 patients (74.1%) had findings associated with CT-positive macroadenoma (type 1A) and 42 (24.1%) with CT-negative microadenoma (type 2A). Only 3 patients (1.8%) had adrenocortical hyperplasia (type 3). The aldosterone level was normalized in all but 2 patients (98.9%), and the number of antihypertensive agents was significantly reduced within 1 month after adrenalectomy. Of the 174 patients, 155 (89.1%) showed resolution or improvement of hypertension. The routine use of adrenal venous sampling could adequately detect lateralization in patients with unilateral aldosterone excess, which led to satisfactory short-term outcomes after surgery. The results of the present study showed that nearly one fourth of patients with the unilateral form had a CT-negative aldosterone-producing microadenoma.

Localization of Aldosterone-Producing Adrenocortical Adenomas: Significance of Adrenal Venous Sampling

Accurate localization of aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) is essential for the treatment of primary aldosteronism (PA). In order to confirm the clinical usefulness of adrenal venous sampling (AVS), we retrospectively studied 87 cases of PA in whom AVS was conducted. We collected right and left adrenal venous effluents simultaneously before and after adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation for measurements of aldosterone concentration (A) and cortisol concentration (C). Based on AVS results, we judged 66 cases as having unilateral aldosterone hypersecretion and the remaining 21 cases as having no apparent laterality. Of the above 66 subjects, 61 underwent laparoscopic removal of the adrenal gland through a retroperitoneal approach. The presence of APA was histopathologically confirmed, and blood pressure decreased significantly with normalization of plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) in all cases. The receiver operator characteristics (ROC) curve analysis between the operated and no-apparent-laterality groups revealed that the ratio of A/C on the higher side to A/C on the lower side (A/C ratio) after ACTH stimulation is a useful index, with a cutoff value of 2.6, a sensitivity of 0.98 and a specificity of 1.0. The ROC curve analysis between the APA side and contralateral side within the operated patients revealed that the cutoff value of A was 1,340 ng/dL, with a sensitivity of 0.92 and a specificity of 1.00. Our results indicate the usefulness of simultaneous AVS and ACTH stimulation for localizing APA.