title: Role of bilateral adrenalectomy in Cushing's disease.
abstract: Of 206 patients with Cushing's syndrome observed from 1975 through 1991, 144 (69.9%) had pituitary-dependent Cushing's disease. Of the 110 patients who underwent pituitary surgery, 31 (28%) developed an early recurrence and 23 patients (20%) had a late relapse 1 to 5 years after primary pituitary exploration. We performed a one- or two-step total bilateral adrenalectomy in 43 patients-9 men and 34 (79.4%) women, with an average age of 47.5 years (range 13-58 years). Thirty-three of these patients had already been treated by previous transsphenoidal surgery or alternatively by external pituitary irradiation over a period of 1 to 10 years prior to adrenal surgery. Thirty-one patients underwent adrenalectomy by a double lumbar access or left lumbar and right subcostal incisions. In our series of 55 operations, perioperative complications included two splenectomies and two hemorrhages (7.3%). The early mortality rate was 3.6% (two patients). Minor complications consisted of wound infection (13.5%), bronchopneumonia or pneumothorax (four cases) with a 7- to 12-day longer hospital stay. Nelson syndrome occurred in 6 of 41 patients (14.6%). We therefore believe that bilateral adrenalectomy does play a major role in the treatment of patients with pituitary-dependent Cushing's disease unsuccessfully managed by transphenoidal surgery. It represents the definitive therapy for those patients in whom hypophysectomy was not able to provide satisfactory control of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Cattedra di Endocrinochirurgia, Istituto di Clinica Chirurgica I, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Favia
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boscaro
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lumachi
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: D'Amico
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000315:Adrenalectomy; D000328:Adult; D003480:Cushing Syndrome / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007016:Hypophysectomy; D008297:Male; D010910:Pituitary Irradiation; D012008:Recurrence