Novel Application of Amniotic Membrane Saves Adrenal Tissue in Patients Undergoing Adrenal Surgery

Posted on April 18, 2022 by MaryO

The Carling Adrenal Center, a worldwide destination for the surgical treatment of adrenal tumors, becomes the first center to offer the use of amniotic membrane during adrenal surgery which saves functional adrenal tissue in patients undergoing adrenal surgery. This novel technique enables more patients to have a partial adrenalectomy thereby preserving some normal adrenal physiology, potentially eliminating life-long adrenal hormone replacement.

Preliminary clinical data from the Carling Adrenal Center suggest that the use of a human amniotic membrane allograph on the adrenal gland remnant following partial adrenal surgery leads to faster recovery of normal adrenal gland function. Rather than removing the entire adrenal gland—which has been standard of care for decades—a portion of the adrenal gland is able to be salvaged with amniotic membrane placed upon the remnant as a biologic covering.

Preliminary clinical data from the Carling Adrenal Center suggest that the use of a human amniotic membrane allograph on the adrenal gland remnant following partial adrenal surgery leads to faster recovery of normal adrenal gland function. Rather than removing the entire adrenal gland—which has been standard of care for decades—a portion of the adrenal gland is able to be salvaged with amniotic membrane placed upon the remnant as a biologic covering. The preliminary data from an ongoing clinical trial shows this technique translates into fewer patients needing steroid hormone replacement following adrenal surgery, and if they do, it is for a significantly shorter period of time.

“Sometimes it is possible, and preferable, to remove the adrenal tumor without removing the entire adrenal gland. This is called partial adrenal surgery and our study shows this technique is more successful when amniotic membrane is used,” said Dr. Carling. He further stresses that “removing only part of the adrenal gland is a more advanced operation and is typically only performed by expert adrenal surgeons. The goal is to leave some normal adrenal tissue so that the patient can avoid adrenal insufficiency which requires a daily dose of several adrenal hormones and steroids. Partial adrenal surgery is especially beneficial for patients with pheochromocytoma, as well as Conn’s and Cushing’s syndrome. Avoiding daily steroids is life-changing for these patients so this is a major breakthrough.”

So how does it work? The increased viability of the adrenal gland remnant is presumed to be related to the release of growth factors known to be present in amniotic tissue which is in direct contact with the adrenal gland remnant as a covering. The results are improved rates of viable adrenal cortical tissues with faster regeneration and recovery to normal endocrine physiology by the adrenal cortical cells.

These findings come during Adrenal Disease Awareness Month. Adrenal gland diseases cause many debilitating symptoms like chronic headaches, anxiety, depression, fatigue, brain fog, memory loss, dangerously high blood pressure, heart arrythmia, weight gain, tremors, and more, yet they are often misdiagnosed or improperly treated. Since many doctors are inexperienced in the workup of adrenal hormone problems and only see a handful of adrenal tumors during their careers, it is important for patients to know about the symptoms of adrenal tumor disease and request their doctor measure adrenal hormones.

Adrenal.com is the leading resource for adrenal gland function, tumors and cancers, and an award-winning resource for adrenal gland surgery. The diagnosis and surgical treatment of all types of adrenal tumor types are discussed. Adrenal.com is edited by Dr. Tobias Carling who has performed more adrenal surgery than any other surgeon and has published some of the most important scientific studies of adrenal disease and adrenal surgery including the understanding of the pathogenesis of pheochromocytoma and adrenal tumors causing Conn’s and Cushing’s syndrome.

Established by Dr. Tobias Carling in 2020, the Carling Adrenal Center located at the Hospital for Endocrine Surgery in Tampa FL, is the highest volume adrenal surgical center in the world. The Center now averages nearly 20 adrenal tumor patients every week. Dr Carling was the Director of Endocrine Surgery at Yale University prior to opening the Center in Tampa. At the new Hospital for Endocrine Surgery, Dr Carling joins the Norman Parathyroid Center, the Clayman Thyroid Center and the Scarless Thyroid Surgery Center as the highest volume endocrine surgery center in the world.

About the Carling Adrenal Center: Founded by Dr. Tobias Carling, one of the world’s leading experts in adrenal gland surgery, the Carling Adrenal Center is a worldwide destination for the surgical treatment of adrenal tumors. Dr. Carling spent nearly 20 years at Yale University, including 7 as the Chief of Endocrine Surgery before leaving in 2020 to open to Carling Adrenal Center, which performs more adrenal operations than any other hospital in the world. (813) 972-0000. More about partial adrenalectomy for adrenal tumors can be found at the Center’s website www.adrenal.com.

From https://www.streetinsider.com/PRNewswire/Novel+application+of+amniotic+membrane+saves+adrenal+tissue+in+patients+undergoing+adrenal+surgery/19915274.html

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Innovative One-Visit Adrenal Tumor Diagnosis and Treatment Program Begins in Tampa

Posted on November 10, 2021 by MaryO

TAMPA, Fla., Nov. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The Carling Adrenal Center, a worldwide destination for the surgical treatment of adrenal tumors, becomes the first center to offer adrenal vein sampling and curative surgery in one visit.

The novel protocol and diagnostic method for adrenal tumors will condense a 2–4-week process of localization of hyper-secreting adrenal tumors and subsequent curative surgery down to just one day. The innovative approach combines highly specialized adrenal vein sampling with rapid adrenal hormone lab testing and then consultation with the world’s highest volume adrenal surgeon. If appropriate, a patient may even complete their mini-surgery during that same visit.

Established by Dr. Tobias Carling in 2020, the Carling Adrenal Center located at the Hospital for Endocrine Surgery in Tampa FL, is the highest volume adrenal surgical center in the world. The Center now averages nearly 20 adrenal tumor patients every week that could benefit from this novel diagnostic and treatment approach to address a decades-long problem for patients with adrenal tumors.

The Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline recommends adrenal vein sampling (AVS) as the preferred method to select patients with primary hyperaldosteronism for an adrenalectomy.

“The difficulty and complexity of testing and diagnosing adrenal tumors secreting excess aldosterone is the primary reason why less than 5% of these adrenal tumors are diagnosed and treated,” says Dr. Carling. “By combining expertise in interventional radiology for adrenal vein sampling and rapid laboratory measurements of adrenal hormones with our unique international consulting capability, we can determine which adrenal gland is bad and whether or not the patient needs that adrenal gland removed.”

Adrenal vein sampling is performed through small catheters placed in very specific veins where blood samples are obtained from both adrenal veins and the inferior vena cava. In experienced centers, the bilateral adrenal veins are catheterized and sampled with a success rate exceeding 90%. Technical success is directly associated with operator experience, leading to the recommendation that the procedure only be performed by true experts or the test will very likely be of no help.

Dr. Carling’s very high volume of adrenal surgery for many years has allowed him to publish scientific studies demonstrating that in aldosterone-producing adenomas, there is a strong correlation between the imaging phenotype (i.e., what the tumor looks like on a CT scan), histology (what the tumor looks like under the microscope) and genotype (what gene is mutated in the tumor).

This knowledge allows Dr. Carling and his team at the Hospital for Endocrine Surgery to predict who can go straight to surgery with an excellent outcome, and who may first need adrenal vein sampling to determine which adrenal gland is over-producing the hormone causing significant morbidity and mortality.

With adrenal vein sampling proving lateralization, the next step is surgical removal of the adrenal tumor. Dr. Carling has more experience with all types of adrenal surgery than any surgeon in the United States, but especially with advanced, minimally invasive adrenal operations which are the best options for aldosterone-secreting adrenal tumors. A fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Carling is a member of both the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons (AAES) and the International Association of Endocrine Surgeons (IAES).

Dr. Carling moved his world-renowned adrenal surgery program from Yale University to Tampa, Florida in early 2020 to start the Carling Adrenal Center. Here, patients needing adrenal surgery have access to the best practices and best techniques the world has to offer.

In January 2022, the Carling Adrenal Center will unite with the Norman Parathyroid Center, the Clayman Thyroid Center and the Scarless Thyroid Surgery Center at the brand-new Hospital for Endocrine Surgery located in Tampa, Florida.

About the Carling Adrenal Center: Founded by Dr. Tobias Carling, one of the world’s leading experts in adrenal gland surgery, the Carling Adrenal Center is a worldwide destination for the surgical treatment of adrenal tumors. Dr. Carling spent nearly 20 years at Yale University, including 7 as the Chief of Endocrine Surgery before leaving in 2020 to open to Carling Adrenal Center, which performs more adrenal operations than any other hospital in the world. More about adrenal vein sampling for adrenal tumors can be found at the Center’s website www.adrenal.com and here. (813) 972-0000.

Contact:
Julie Canan, Director of Marketing
Carling Adrenal Center
juliec@parathyroid.com

SOURCE Carling Adrenal Center

From https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/innovative-one-visit-adrenal-tumor-diagnosis-and-treatment-program-begins-in-tampa-301414465.html

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Risk for thrombotic events high after Cushing’s syndrome surgery

Posted on December 31, 2019 by MaryO

Approximately 20% of a cohort of adults with Cushing’s syndrome experienced at least one thrombotic event after undergoing pituitary or adrenal surgery, with the highest risk observed for those undergoing bilateral adrenalectomy, according to findings from a retrospective analysis published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

“We have previously showed in a recent meta-analysis that Cushing’s syndrome is associated with significantly increased venous thromboembolic events odds vs. the general population, though the risk is lower than in patients undergoing major orthopedic surgery,” Maria Fleseriu, MD, FACE, professor of neurological surgery and professor of medicine in the division of endocrinology, diabetes and clinical nutrition in the School of Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University and director of the OHSU Northwest Pituitary Center, told Healio. “However, patients undergoing many types of orthopedic surgeries have scheduled thromboprophylaxis, especially postsurgery, which is not the standard of care in patients with Cushing’s syndrome. In this study, we wanted to look in more detail at the rates of all thrombotic events, both arterial and venous, in patients at our specialized pituitary center over more than a decade.”

In a retrospective, longitudinal study, Fleseriu and colleagues analyzed data from 208 individuals with Cushing’s syndrome undergoing surgical (pituitary, unilateral and bilateral adrenalectomy) and medical treatment at a single center (79.3% women; mean age at presentation, 45 years; mean BMI, 33.9 kg/m²; 41.8% with diabetes). Individuals with severe illness and immediate mortality were excluded. Thromboembolic events (myocardial infarction, deep venous thrombosis [DVT], and pulmonary embolism or stroke) were recorded at any point up until last patient follow-up. Researchers assessed all patients who received anticoagulation in the immediate postoperative period and up to 3 months after surgery, recording doses and complications for anticoagulation.

Within the cohort, 39 patients (18.2%) experienced at least one thromboembolic event (56 total events; 52% venous), such as extremity DVT (32%), cerebrovascular accident (27%), MI (21%), and pulmonary embolism (14%). Of those who experienced a thromboembolic event, 40.5% occurred within 60 days of surgery.

Researchers found that 14 of 36 patients who underwent bilateral adrenalectomy experienced a thromboembolic event, for an OR of 3.74 (95% CI, 1.69-8.27). Baseline 24-hour urinary free cortisol levels did not differ for patients with or without thromboembolic event after bilateral adrenalectomy.

“Despite following these patients over time, results almost surprised us,” said Fleseriu, also an Endocrine Today Editorial Board Member. “The risk of thromboembolic events in patients with Cushing’s syndrome was higher than we expected, approximately 20%. Many patients had more than one event, with higher risk at 30 to 60 days postoperatively. Use of a peripherally inserted central catheter line clearly increased risk of upper extremity DVT.”

Among 197 patients who underwent surgery, 50 (25.38%) received anticoagulation after surgery with 2% experiencing bleeding complications.

“We clearly need to understand more about what happens in patients with Cushing’s syndrome for all comorbidities, but especially thrombosis, and find the factors that predict higher risk and use anticoagulation in those patients,” Fleseriu said. “We have shown that among patients who had anticoagulation, risks were minimal. We also have to think more about timelines for these thromboembolic events and the duration of anticoagulation, and probably to expand it up to 30 to 60 days postoperatively if there are no contraindications, especially for patients undergoing bilateral adrenalectomy.”

Fleseriu cautioned that the findings do not necessarily suggest that every individual with Cushing’s syndrome needs anticoagulation therapy, as the study was retrospective. Additionally, sex, age, BMI, smoking status, estrogen or testosterone supplementation, diabetes and hypertension — all known factors for increased thrombosis risk among the general population — were not found to significantly increase the risk for developing a thromboembolic event, Fleseriu said.

“As significantly more patients have exogenous Cushing’s syndrome than endogenous Cushing’s syndrome and many of these patients undergo surgeries, we hope that our study increased awareness regarding thromboembolic risks and the need to balance advantages of thromboprophylaxis with risk of bleeding,” Fleseriu said. – by Regina Schaffer

For more information:

Maria Fleseriu, MD, FACE, can be reached at fleseriu@ohsu.edu.

Disclosure: Fleseriu reports she has received research funding paid to her institution from Novartis and Strongbridge and has received consultant fees from Novartis and Strongbridge.

 

From  https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/neuroendocrinology/news/online/%7Bce267e5a-0d32-4171-abc8-34369b455fcf%7D/risk-for-thrombotic-events-high-after-cushings-syndrome-surgery

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Cushing’s Syndrome Patients at More Risk of Blood-clotting Problems After Adrenal Surgery

Posted on February 16, 2019 by MaryO

Cushing’s syndrome patients who undergo adrenal surgery are more likely to have venous thromboembolism — blood clots that originate in the veins — than patients who have the same procedure for other conditions, a study suggests.

Physicians should consider preventive treatment for this complication in Cushing’s syndrome patients who are having adrenal surgery and maintain it for four weeks after surgery due to late VTE onset.

The study, “Is VTE Prophylaxis Necessary on Discharge for Patients Undergoing Adrenalectomy for Cushing Syndrome?” was published in the Journal of Endocrine Society.

Cushing’s syndrome is a condition characterized by too much cortisol in circulation. In many cases, it is caused by a tumor in the pituitary gland, which produces greater amounts of the cortisol-controlling adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). In other cases, patients have tumors in the adrenal glands that directly increase cortisol production.

When the source of the problem is the pituitary gland, the condition is known as Cushing’s disease.

The imbalance in cortisol levels generates metabolic complications that include obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and cardiovascular complications. Among the latter, the formation of blood clots in the deep veins of the leg, groin or arm — a condition called venous thromboembolism (VTE) — is higher in both Cushing’s disease and Cushing’s syndrome patients.

VTE is believed to be a result of excess coagulation factors that promote blood clot formation, and is thought to particularly affect Cushing’s disease patients who have pituitary gland surgery.

Whether Cushing’s syndrome patients who have an adrenalectomy — surgical removal of one or both adrenal glands — are at a higher risk for VTE is largely unknown. This is important for post-operative management, to decide whether they should have preventive treatment for blood clot formation.

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute in Maryland did a retrospective analysis of a large group of patients in the American College of Surgeons National Quality Improvement Program database.

A total of 8,082 patients underwent adrenal gland surgery between 2005 and 2016. Data on these patients included preoperative risk factors, as well as 30-day post-surgery mortality and morbidity outcomes. Patients with malignant disease and without specified adrenal pathology were excluded from the study.

The final analysis included 4,217 patients, 61.8% of whom were females. In total, 310 patients had Cushing’s syndrome or Cushing’s disease that required an adrenalectomy. The remaining 3,907 had an adrenal disease other than Cushing’s and were used as controls.

The incidence of VTE after surgery — defined as pulmonary embolism (a blockage of an artery in the lungs) or deep-vein thrombosis — was 1% in the overall population. However, more Cushing’s patients experienced this complication (2.6%) than controls (0.9%).

Those diagnosed with Cushing’s syndrome were generally younger, had a higher body mass index, and were more likely to have diabetes than controls. Their surgery also lasted longer — 191.2 minutes versus 142 minutes — as did their hospital stay – 2.4 versus two days.

Although without statistical significance, the researchers observed a tendency for longer surgery time for patients with Cushing’s syndrome than controls with VTE. They saw no difference in the time for blood coagulation between Cushing’s and non-Cushing’s patients, or postoperative events other than pulmonary embolism or deep-vein thrombosis.

In addition, no differences were detected for VTE incidence between Cushing’s and non-Cushing’s patients according to the type of surgical approach — laparoscopic versus open surgery.

These results suggest that individuals with Cushing syndrome are at a higher risk for developing VTE.

“Because the incidence of VTE events in the CS group was almost threefold higher than that in the non-CS group and VTE events occurred up to 23 days after surgery in patients with CS undergoing adrenalectomy, our data support postdischarge thromboprophylaxis for 28 days in these patients,” the researchers concluded.

From https://cushingsdiseasenews.com/2019/02/14/cushings-syndrome-patients-blood-clots-adrenal-surgery/

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Adrenal Gland Lump Led to 5-year-old Developing Cushing’s, Starting Puberty

Posted on February 17, 2018 by MaryO

Non-cancerous adrenal gland tumors can lead to rare cases of Cushing’s syndrome in young children and puberty starting years before it should, a case study of a 5-year-old boy shows.

Removing his right adrenal gland eliminated the problems, the Saudi Arabian researchers said.

Their report dealt with tumors in epithelial cells, which line the surface of many of the body’s structures and cavities.

The research, “Testosterone- and Cortisol-secreting Oncocytic Adrenocortical Adenoma in the Pediatric Age-group,” appeared in the journal Pediatric and Developmental Pathology.

Most tumors in adrenal gland epithelial cells are benign and generate normal levels of hormones. But there are cases when the tumors over-produce steroids and other kinds of hormones, including sex hormones. Sometimes the over-production can lead to Cushing’s syndrome.

The 5-year-old boy’s over-production of adrenal gland hormones led to both symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome and signs that he was starting puberty, the researchers said.

One reason the case was rare is that the average age when Cushing’s develops is 40, doctors say. Another is that epithelial adrenal gland tumors account for only 0.2 percent of all tumors in children, the researchers said.

Signs that the boy was starting puberty began appearing eight months before his parents took him for treatment. Doctors discovered he had the weight gain and rounded face associated with Cushing’s, but a battery of tests detected no other problems. No family members were experiencing the symptoms he was, doctors added.

Biochemical tests showed that the boy had a high level of cortisol in his blood, which doctors were unable to lower with the corticosteroid suppression medication dexamethasone.

Physicians also discovered that the boy had elevated levels of the male hormone testosterone, the cortisol precursor 17-hydroxyprogestrone, the cortisol-releasing hormone adrenocorticotropin, and another male hormone that the adrenal gland produces — dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate

In contrast, doctors discovered a below-normal level of luteinising, a sex hormone that the pituitary gland generates.

Another unusual manifestation of the boy’s condition was that his bone growth was that of a child a year older than he.

Doctors discovered a non-cancerous tumor in his right adrenal gland that they decided to remove. When they did, they discovered no evidence of bleeding, tissue scarring or cell death.

They put the boy on a hydrocortisone supplement, which they reduced over time and finally ended.

Twenty-eight months after the surgery, the boy showed no signs of Cushing’s disease or early puberty. And his weight, cortisol and adrenocorticotropin hormone levels were normal.

“To the best of our knowledge, our patient represents the first male patient” with a benign epithelial-cell adrenal gland tumor “in the pediatric population, with clinical presentation of precocious [early] puberty and Cushing’s syndrome,” the researchers wrote.

“As these tumors are exceptionally rare, reporting of additional cases and investigation of clinicopathological [disease] data are needed for better characterization of these tumors,” they wrote.

From https://cushingsdiseasenews.com/2018/02/16/cushings-syndrome-early-puberty-5-year-old-boy-case-study/

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