Clinical Characteristics of Endogenous Cushing's Syndrome at a Medical Center in Southern Taiwan.
From January 1987 to December 2011, over a total of 25 years, 84 patients with Cushing's syndrome (CS) were identified at a medical center in southern Taiwan. We observed a higher incidence of ACTH-independent CS (75%) than ACTH-dependent CS (25%). A higher incidence of adrenocortical adenoma (58.3%) than Cushing's disease (CD, 21.4%) was also found. The sensitivity of the definitive diagnostic tests for CS, including loss of plasma cortisol circadian rhythm, a baseline 24 h urinary free cortisol (UFC) value >80  μ g, and overnight and 2-day low-dose dexamethasone suppression test, was between 94.4% and 100%. For the 2-day high-dose dexamethasone suppression test for the differential diagnosis of CD, the sensitivity of 0800 h plasma cortisol and 24 h UFC was 44.4% and 85.7%, respectively. For the differential diagnosis of adrenal CS, the sensitivities of the 0800 h plasma cortisol and 24 h UFC were 95.5% and 88.9%, respectively. In patients with ACTH-independent CS and ACTH-dependent CS, the baseline plasma ACTH levels were all below 29 pg/mL and above 37 pg/mL, respectively. The postsurgical hospitalization stay following retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy was shorter than that observed for transabdominal adrenalectomy (4.3 ± 1.6 versus 8.8 ± 3.7 days, P < 0.001). It was easy to develop retroperitoneal and peritoneal seeding of adrenocortical carcinoma via laparoscopic adrenalectomy.
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, 123 Ta-Pei Road, Niao-Sung District, Kaohsiung City 83301, Taiwan.
Shih-Chen
SC
Tung
Pei-Wen
PW
Wang
Rue-Tsuan
RT
Liu
Jung-Fu
JF
Chen
Ching-Jung
CJ
Hsieh
Ming-Chun
MC
Kuo
Joseph W
JW
Yang
Wei-Ching
WC
Lee
Min-Hsiung
MH
Cheng
Tao-Chen
TC
Lee