title: Bilateral adrenalectomy in the 21st century: when to use it for hypercortisolism?
abstract: Therapeutic options available for the treatment of Cushing's syndrome (CS) have expanded over the last 5 years. For instance, the efficient management of severe hypercortisolism using a combination of fast-acting steroidogenesis inhibitors has been reported. Recent publications on the long-term efficacy of drugs or radiation techniques have also demonstrated low toxicity. These data should encourage endocrinologists to reconsider the place of bilateral adrenalectomy in patients with ACTH-dependent aetiologies of CS; similarly, the indication of bilateral adrenalectomy is reassessed in primary bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia. The objective of this review is to compare the efficacy and side effects of the various therapeutic options of hypercortisolism with those of bilateral adrenalectomy, in order to better define its indications in the 21st century.
authors.affiliation: Aix-Marseille UniversityAssistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Department of Endocrine Surgery, La Conception Hospital, Marseille, FranceAix-Marseille UniversityAssistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Department of Nuclear Medicine, La Timone Hospital, Marseille, FranceDepartment of Nuclear MedicineThyroid and PET/CT Center, Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona and Lugano, SwitzerlandAix-Marseille UniversityAssistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Department of Endocrinology, La Conception Hospital, 147 Boulevard Baille, 13005 Marseille, FranceEndocrine DivisionDepartment of Medicine, Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: Carole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guerin
authors.affiliation: Aix-Marseille UniversityAssistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Department of Endocrine Surgery, La Conception Hospital, Marseille, FranceAix-Marseille UniversityAssistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Department of Nuclear Medicine, La Timone Hospital, Marseille, FranceDepartment of Nuclear MedicineThyroid and PET/CT Center, Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona and Lugano, SwitzerlandAix-Marseille UniversityAssistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Department of Endocrinology, La Conception Hospital, 147 Boulevard Baille, 13005 Marseille, FranceEndocrine DivisionDepartment of Medicine, Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Taieb
authors.affiliation: Aix-Marseille UniversityAssistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Department of Endocrine Surgery, La Conception Hospital, Marseille, FranceAix-Marseille UniversityAssistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Department of Nuclear Medicine, La Timone Hospital, Marseille, FranceDepartment of Nuclear MedicineThyroid and PET/CT Center, Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona and Lugano, SwitzerlandAix-Marseille UniversityAssistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Department of Endocrinology, La Conception Hospital, 147 Boulevard Baille, 13005 Marseille, FranceEndocrine DivisionDepartment of Medicine, Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Treglia
authors.affiliation: Aix-Marseille UniversityAssistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Department of Endocrine Surgery, La Conception Hospital, Marseille, FranceAix-Marseille UniversityAssistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Department of Nuclear Medicine, La Timone Hospital, Marseille, FranceDepartment of Nuclear MedicineThyroid and PET/CT Center, Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona and Lugano, SwitzerlandAix-Marseille UniversityAssistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Department of Endocrinology, La Conception Hospital, 147 Boulevard Baille, 13005 Marseille, FranceEndocrine DivisionDepartment of Medicine, Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Brue
authors.affiliation: Aix-Marseille UniversityAssistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Department of Endocrine Surgery, La Conception Hospital, Marseille, FranceAix-Marseille UniversityAssistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Department of Nuclear Medicine, La Timone Hospital, Marseille, FranceDepartment of Nuclear MedicineThyroid and PET/CT Center, Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona and Lugano, SwitzerlandAix-Marseille UniversityAssistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Department of Endocrinology, La Conception Hospital, 147 Boulevard Baille, 13005 Marseille, FranceEndocrine DivisionDepartment of Medicine, Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lacroix
authors.affiliation: Aix-Marseille UniversityAssistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Department of Endocrine Surgery, La Conception Hospital, Marseille, FranceAix-Marseille UniversityAssistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Department of Nuclear Medicine, La Timone Hospital, Marseille, FranceDepartment of Nuclear MedicineThyroid and PET/CT Center, Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona and Lugano, SwitzerlandAix-Marseille UniversityAssistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Department of Endocrinology, La Conception Hospital, 147 Boulevard Baille, 13005 Marseille, FranceEndocrine DivisionDepartment of Medicine, Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: Frederic
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sebag
authors.affiliation: Aix-Marseille UniversityAssistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Department of Endocrine Surgery, La Conception Hospital, Marseille, FranceAix-Marseille UniversityAssistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Department of Nuclear Medicine, La Timone Hospital, Marseille, FranceDepartment of Nuclear MedicineThyroid and PET/CT Center, Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona and Lugano, SwitzerlandAix-Marseille UniversityAssistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Department of Endocrinology, La Conception Hospital, 147 Boulevard Baille, 13005 Marseille, FranceEndocrine DivisionDepartment of Medicine, Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montreal, Canada Frederic.castinetti@ap-hm.fr.
authors.forename: Frederic
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Castinetti
mesh_terms: D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000473:pathology*; D000315:Adrenalectomy / Q000379:methods*; D000066491:Clinical Decision-Making; D003480:Cushing Syndrome / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans
keywords: Cushing's disease; Cushing's syndrome; primary bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia; surgery