J Korean Soc Endocrinol.  1999 Mar;14(1):177-182.

Unolateral Aldosterone-producing Adenoma with a Contralateral Black Adenoma

• Oh EY
• Lee MS
• Lim YH
• Kang SJ
• Chun JH
• Kim BJ
• Chung JH
• Min YK
• Lee MK
• Kim KW
• Yang JH

Abstract

Primary aldosteronism due to unilateral adenoma is a rare cause of surgically curable hypertension. Bilateral adrenal mass has occasionally been reported in this syndrome, and bilateral aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA), or bilateral adrenal nodular hyperplasia have been demonstrated in some cases. However, another possibility is the coexistence of a unilateral APA with a contralateral benign or metastatic nonfunctioning mass, because adrenal tumors are frequently found at autopsy or incidentally detected during abdominal morphological evaluation in patients without adrenal dysfunction. A 39 year-old woman presented with hyperaldosteronism, suppressed renin levels, and bilateral adrenal mass on adrenal CT scanning. Selective adrenal venous sampling was unsuccessful in demonstrating concentration gradient of aldosterone. Postoperative measurement of hormone content in the tumor extract revealed unilateral aldosteron-producing adenoma with contralateral nonfunctioning black adenoma, Determination of hormone content in the tumor extract could be useful for the discrimination of functioning and nonfunctioning endocrine tumors, particularly in case of multiple tumors.

MeSH Terms

Adenoma*
Adult
Aldosterone
Autopsy
Discrimination (Psychology)
Female
Humans
Hyperaldosteronism
Hyperplasia
Hypertension
Renin
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Aldosterone
Renin