Treatment of primary aldosteronism

Kim, Chang Soo; Chung, Sung Kwang; Kim, Bup Wan; Chang, Sae Kook

Abstract

Eight patients with primary aldosteronism treated in Kyungpook University Hospital were evaluated by clinical studies. All the patients had unilateral adrenal adenomas and location of adenomas were left in 4 and right in 4. Patient age ranged from 25 to 44 years (mean 35.6 years) and sex ratio of male to female waF 4 to 4. These patients had had a history of hypertension between 2 months and 20 years and showed hypokalemia and kaliuresis. The diagnosis of primary aldosteronism was made by clinical and laboratory testing which demonstrated elevated plasma and urinary aldosterone levels in conjunction with suppressed plasma renin activity and no response of captopril tests which were checked in 5 patients and all adenomas were accurately located by computed tomography. Surgical removal of adenoma were performed by extra-peritoneally in 5 patients and by transperitoneally in 3. There was no troublesome operative complication. All the patients noted normalized biochemical levels in postoperative laboratory testing and resolved hypertensions. The surgical specimens of adrenal gland histopathologically confirmed to adrenal cortical adenoma with clear cytoplasm in all cases.