Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Reveals Biventricular Impairment In Cushing’s Syndrome

Posted on June 4, 2024 by MaryO

Purpose

Cushing’s syndrome (CS) is associated with severe cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is the non-invasive gold standard for assessing cardiac structure and function; however, few CMR studies explore cardiac remodeling in patients exposed to chronic glucocorticoid (GC) excess. We aimed to describe the CMR features directly attributable to previous GC exposure in patients with cured or treated endogenous CS.

Methods

This was a prospective, multicentre, case-control study enrolling consecutive patients with cured or treated CS and patients harboring non-functioning adrenal incidentalomas (NFAI), comparable in terms of sex, age, CV risk factors, and BMI. All patients were in stable condition and had a minimum 24-month follow-up.

Results

Sixteen patients with CS and 15 NFAI were enrolled. Indexed left ventricle (LV) end-systolic volume and LV mass were higher in patients with CS (p = 0.027; p = 0.013); similarly, indexed right ventricle (RV) end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes were higher in patients with CS compared to NFAI (p = 0.035; p = 0.006). Morphological alterations also affected cardiac function, as LV and RV ejection fractions decreased in patients with CS (p = 0.056; p = 0.044). CMR features were independent of metabolic status or other CV risk factors, with fasting glucose significantly lower in CS remission than NFAI (p < 0.001) and no differences in lipid levels or blood pressure.

Conclusion

CS is associated with biventricular cardiac structural and functional impairment at CMR, likely attributable to chronic exposure to cortisol excess independently of known traditional risk factors.

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Introduction

Cushing’s syndrome (CS), or chronic hypercortisolism, is associated with increased mortality mostly due to cardiovascular disease [1, 2], with infectious diseases and coexisting comorbidities also playing a role [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]. Older age at diagnosis, longer disease activity, uncontrolled hypertension, and diabetes mellitus are the main factors increasing mortality in CS [1, 2].

The higher cardiovascular risk in CS has traditionally been attributed to chronic hypertension, vascular atherosclerosis, and increased thromboembolism [2, 10,11,12,13,14], ultimately leading to an increased risk for myocardial infarction, cardiac failure, and stroke [2, 15].

Prompt and effective treatment of cortisol excess is crucial for reversing comorbidities and reducing the mortality risk associated with CS [1, 2]. However, concomitant treatment for cardiovascular comorbidities should also be provided to mitigate cardiovascular damage [1, 2, 16]. Despite improved treatment modalities, comorbidities can persist in a significant proportion of patients even after remission of CS [2, 17], suggesting that the consequence of prolonged exposure to glucocorticoid (GC) excess can produce irreversible alteration in cardiac structure.

Alterations in cardiac kinetics and structure include abnormal relaxation patterns (decreased systolic strain and impaired diastolic filling) and concentric left ventricle hypertrophy [2, 18,19,20], the latter being more severe in CS patients when compared to hypertensive controls [2, 20]. Increased myocardial fibrosis, caused by enhanced responsiveness to angiotensin II and activation of the mineralocorticoid receptor in response to cortisol excess, further complicates the scenario [2].

Albeit myocardial fibrosis and cardiac abnormalities might improve [21], cardiovascular alterations can persist for up to 5 years since remission of GC excess [2, 22, 23], underscoring the importance of prompt diagnosis and treatment, but also monitoring of increased risk.

Most studies rely on 2D echocardiography to characterize cardiac alterations in patients with CS [24]. Still, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is now the established non-invasive gold standard method for measuring left ventricle (LV) volume, LV mass (LVM), and cardiac function due to its higher accuracy, reproducibility, and lower variability [25]. Few controlled studies assess cardiac dysfunction in CS patients by CMR, with preliminary data confirming the 2D-echocardiography observation of altered LV function and structure [18, 24, 26,27,28,29].

Therefore, our study aims to provide a detailed characterization of cardiac alterations in patients who have been exposed to chronic GC excess using a CMR-based approach and help clarify which are directly attributable to GC excess by matching the CS cohort with randomly selected adrenal patients with proven intact hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis, but similar traditional cardio-metabolic risk factors.

Materials and methods

Study design and population

We performed a prospective, multicentric, case-control study. From September 2014 to January 2020, consecutive adult (>18 years) patients diagnosed with CS as per current criteria [30] (either cured or with an active drug-treated disease) were recruited from the endocrinology outpatient clinics of the Department of Experimental Medicine at “Sapienza” University of Rome and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery at “Federico II” University of Naples. Disease remission following surgery was defined by urinary free cortisol (UFC) levels per upper limit of normal (ULN) < 1.0 and by serum morning cortisol levels <50 nmol/L following overnight 1 mg dexamethasone suppression, in the absence of any cortisol-lowering treatment. Disease control under chronic medical therapy was defined by UFC xULN <1.0 [16, 31]. Patients with contraindications (or unwilling to undergo) to CMR were excluded from the study. The control group consisted of randomly selected patients with non-functioning adrenal incidentalomas (NFAI) diagnosed according to current criteria [32] undergoing follow-up imaging for the adrenal lesion, comparable with patients in terms of sex, age, BMI, and traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Sixteen patients with CS and 15 NFAI entered the study. All patients must have been in stable condition, including hormonal control, for at least 6 months before entering the study. All patients provided written informed consent after fully explaining the purpose and nature of all procedures used. The study was approved by the Ethical Committee of Policlinico Umberto I (ref. number 4245). The study has been performed according to the ethical standards of the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments. This study adhered to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines for reporting.

Study procedures

Clinical and laboratory assessment

All patients underwent an accurate medical history review, including drugs used, hormonal assessment at diagnosis (UFC xULN, serum cortisol after dexamethasone suppression test), comorbidities (hypertension, glucose metabolism impairment, dyslipidemia, obesity), and cardiovascular risk factors (e.g., smoking habit). Subsequently, they were submitted to physical examination with measurement of anthropometric parameters and vital signs. Blood sampling for the assessment of biochemistry and hormones was performed at the local laboratory of each participating center; to better standardize results about disease activity, UFC levels were normalized by the upper limit of normal of each center’s laboratory. Clinical and laboratory findings and the prevalence of cardiometabolic complications have been compared between patient groups (CS vs NFAI) and cured and drug-treated patients (cured CS vs controlled CS). All patients were followed up for a minimum of 24-month timeframe.

Cardiac evaluation

All subjects underwent cardiac evaluation with CMR imaging performed as previously described [33] with a 1.5-T clinical magnetic resonance imaging system (Avanto, Siemens, Healthcare Solutions, Erlangen, Germany). During the examination, an ECG device was used for cardiac gating, and all acquisitions were made in apnea at the end of inspiration. In all cases, CMR imaging was performed by the same radiologist expert in cardiac imaging (N.G.) using the same acquisition protocol. CMR was performed at study entry, but not earlier than 6 months from any previous severe acute disease, event, or procedure.

T1-mapping for the evaluation of fibrosis

The T1-mapping technique has been used to quantify the degree of myocardial fibrosis non-invasively. The measured extracellular volume fraction (ECV) is highly sensitive and indicates diffuse myocardial fibrosis [34]. T1-mapping is automatically calculated as the average of the intensity of the individual pixels with and without contrast medium in T1 and expressed in msec (CMR 42 SW). The calculation of the ECV has been performed using the mathematical formula using the hematocrit value [DR1 myocardium: (1/T1 myocardial-post) − (1/T1 myocardial-pre); DR1 blood: (1/T1 blood-post) − (1/T1 blood-pre); Myocardial partition coefficient (λ) = (DR1 myocardial/DR1 blood); ECV = (1 − hematocrit) × (λ)]. A cut-off of ECV > 30% was used to identify increased interstitial fibrosis [35].

CMR findings have been compared between patient groups (CS vs NFAI). Moreover, the comparison of cardiac parameters has also been performed in CS patients according to cardiometabolic comorbidities, disease status, and sex.

The main steps of CMR image acquisition are shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1

figure 1

Cardiac magnetic resonance image acquisition protocol. T1-weighted, late gadolinium enhancement cardiac MR images of a 71-year-old female patient with Cushing’s disease, cured after successful neurosurgery. A Vertical long axis slice, coronal plane, two-chamber view. B Horizontal long axis slice, axial plane, four-chamber view. C Short-axis slice at the end of the diastole, sagittal plane. Red circle: endocardium; Blue circle: epicardium. LA left atrium, LV left ventricle, RA right atrium, RV right ventricle

Statistical analysis

Continuous variables are expressed as standard deviation (SD), median and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) as per data distribution, assessed through the Shapiro–Wilk test. Dichotomous variables are expressed as frequencies and percentages when relevant. According to variable distribution, the Student’s t-test or the non-parametric Mann–Whitney U test was performed to compare continuous variables between CS and NFAI and between cured and drug-controlled patients. Differences between groups regarding qualitative variables were evaluated by χ2 statistics. Bivariate correlations between numerical variables were analyzed using Pearson’s or Spearman’s correlation test, as appropriate. The statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 20.0 for MacOS (SPSS Inc.).

Results

Patient characteristics

The cohort characteristics are summarized in Table 1. Sixteen patients with CS (12 females, mean age 47 ± 12 years) and 15 with NFAI (7 females, mean age 55 ± 10 years) were enrolled during the study period. Twelve patients (75%) had been diagnosed with Cushing’s disease (CD), while four (25%) had ACTH-independent CS due to a cortisol-secreting adrenal adenoma.

Table 1 Baseline characteristics of patients with CS

At enrollment, eleven (69%) patients were cured and five (31%) had drug-treated CD. Among patients with CD, nine had previously undergone pituitary surgery, seven (58%) were cured, and five (42%) presented with a biochemically persistent disease. In the latter group, 3 patients had adequate biochemical control under medical therapy, whereas 2 patients were not entirely on target, because of low compliance and intolerance to medical treatments.

All patients with a cortisol-secreting adrenal adenoma had undergone unilateral adrenalectomy and were cured at the time of enrollment.

Table 2 details comorbidities and their therapies for CS and NFAI patients.

Table 2 Biochemical and clinical parameters in CS patients and NFAI

Biochemical and clinical evaluation

The main clinical and biochemical parameters are reported in Table 2. Sex, age, and BMI did not differ between the CS patients and NFAI. The two groups were similar concerning HbA1c, fasting insulin or homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance, and lipid levels; fasting glucose levels were marginally lower in CS than in NFAI (p < 0.001). No differences were found in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, the prevalence of cardiometabolic complications or drugs (i.e., diagnosis of hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, and diabetes or prescriptions needed to control such comorbidities), suggesting that GC excess was resolved (or adequately controlled) at the time of enrollment for the great majority of patients.

Subgroup analysis of cardiac parameters in patients with Cushing’s syndrome

A subgroup analysis was performed to assess possible differences in cardiac parameters when the CS cohort was stratified according to disease status and cardiometabolic comorbidities (i.e., between patients with or without hypertension, glucose metabolism impairment, dyslipidemia, obesity), smoking, sex, and disease status.

Firstly, pharmacologically treated CS exhibited higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels than cured CS (p = 0.027), but no other differences were found regarding CMR parameters. Subgroup analysis according to the presence/absence of comorbidities revealed no significant effect on cardiac parameters, except for CS patients with impaired glucose tolerance, who showed a lower RV-EF compared with the remaining CS patients (p = 0.017).

Analyzing sex differences, male CS patients displayed higher RV-EDVi (p = 0.035) and RV-ESVi (p = 0.044), as well as a trend toward higher LV-EDVi (p = 0.067), LV-ESVi (p = 0.053) and LVMi (p = 0.066) compared to females. However, male CS patients only exhibited higher interventricular septum (IVS) thickness (p = 0.001) when compared to male and female reference ranges for the general population, age and sex-matched [36].

Comparison of cardiac parameters between patients and controls

A comparison of the main morphostructural and functional cardiac parameters between CS and NFAI in the left and the right ventricle is reported in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, respectively. CMR cardiac morphology revealed an increased left ventricle-end systolic volume index (LV-ESVi) (31.0 ± 8.7 vs 24.1 ± 7.4, p = 0.027) in CS compared to NFAI (Fig. 2). Left ventricle mass index (LVMi) was also higher in CS (51.0 ± 11.8 vs 41.8 ± 6.9, p = 0.013) (Fig. 2), albeit none matched the criteria for left ventricular hypertrophy [37]. Regarding cardiac function, a trend toward lower left ventricle-ejection fraction (LV-EF) was measured in CS (57.1 ± 6.3 vs 61.9 ± 7.0, p = 0.056). Mirroring the alterations found in the left ventricle, higher indexed right ventricle-end systolic volume (RV-ESVi) (34.0 ± 7.7 vs 26.3 ± 6.0, p = 0.006) and right ventricle-end diastolic volume (RV-EDVi) (74.8 ± 14.2 vs 64.9 ± 9.3, p = 0.035), as well as lower right ventricle-ejection fraction (RV-EF) (54.6 ± 5.5 vs 59.5 ± 7.1, p = 0.044) were measured in patients with CS (Fig. 3). Dedicated T1 mapping technique did not reveal any difference between CS and NFAI, either before or after contrast administration. No patient had ECV greater than 30%, and no difference in ECV values was observed between groups.

Fig. 2
figure 2

Comparative analysis of left ventricle parameters in Cushing’s syndrome and NFAI patients. Left ventricle morphological and functional cardiac parameters in patients with Cushing’s syndrome (gray bars) and patients with NFAI (black bars). Data are expressed as mean ± SD. *p < 0.05. CS Cushing’s syndrome, CNT NFAI, LV-EDVi Left Ventricle End-Diastolic Volume index, LV-ESVi Left Ventricle End-Systolic Volume index, LV-SVi Left Ventricle Stroke Volume index, LVMi Left Ventricular Mass index, LV-EF Left Ventricle Ejection Fraction

Fig. 3
figure 3

Comparative analysis of right ventricle parameters in Cushing’s syndrome and NFAI patients. Right ventricle morphological and functional cardiac parameters in patients with Cushing’s syndrome (gray bars) and patients with NFAI (black bars). Data are expressed as mean ± SD. *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; CS Cushing’s syndrome, CNT NFAI, RV-EDVi Right Ventricle End-Diastolic Volume index, RV-ESVi Right Ventricle End-Systolic Volume index, RV-SVi Right Ventricle Stroke Volume index, RV-EF Right Ventricle Ejection Fraction

No significant correlations were found between CMR parameters and UFC x ULN (assessed at diagnosis or date of CMR evaluation), serum cortisol after dexamethasone suppression test (at diagnosis) or disease duration from diagnosis. An explicative summary of cardiac parameters is shown in Table 3.

Table 3 Cardiac parameters in CS patients and NFAI

Discussion

The current study reveals that exposure to endogenous GC excess induces a peculiar early remodeling of affected patients’ left and right ventricles, which can persist after CS remission and is independent of traditional cardiometabolic risk factors. Namely, the higher LV and RV ESVi and EDVi observed in patients exposed to GC excess is accompanied by higher LVMi. However, LV and RV ejection fractions are only mildly reduced, suggesting that a morphological impairment anticipates a performance dysfunction. The fact that such alterations occur rapidly in CS and are partially irreversible after remission advocates the use of CMR to improve the management of fatal cardiac complications in this rare endocrine disease.

Several echocardiographic studies have evaluated cardiac structure and function in patients with CS and found LV systolic and diastolic dysfunction [19, 21, 38,39,40,41]. Albeit cardiac echocardiography is more practical in everyday clinical practice, CMR allows an evaluation of ventricular mass and volumes free of cardiac geometric assumption, ensuring a higher accuracy and reproducibility [29, 42].

Few controlled studies evaluating small cohorts have analyzed patients with CS using CMR [18, 26,27,28]. Kamenicky and coworkers compared 18 patients with active CS with 18 controls matched for age, sex, and BMI and found that patients had lower LV, RV, and left atrium ejection fractions, along with increased left and right ESVi and end-diastolic LV segmental thickness. Of note, successful treatment of CS was associated with an improvement in ventricular and atrial systolic performance [18]. A later study from the same group evaluated 23 patients with active CS and compared them with 27 controls matched for age, sex, and BMI, reporting increased left ventricular wall thickness, and reduced ventricular stroke volumes in patients [28]. A CMR study comparing CS patients with age and sex-matched controls showed that patients with active disease had higher LVMi than controls, as opposed to those in disease remission [27]. In all the studies mentioned above, patients and controls significantly differed in cardiovascular risk factors, with a worse cardiovascular profile in patients than controls. Conversely, our cohorts were largely homogeneous, without any significant difference between patients with CS and NFAI in glycometabolic profile, except for a surprisingly marginally lower fasting glucose levels in CS than in NFAI. This is likely because CS patients were either cured or drug-treated, and NFAI were comparable in terms of BMI and known CV risk factors.

As a result, the two groups did not significantly differ either in systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels or in the overall prevalence of cardiometabolic complications or the drugs prescribed to treat them. Nevertheless, our results confirmed the CMR findings of previous studies regarding higher cardiac volumes and mass and lower ejection fractions in patients with CS than in NFAI, advocating a direct effect of GC excess exposure in cardiac impairment beyond the known cardiovascular risk factors. Moreover, the results of the current study highlight the importance of a biventricular evaluation in this context, as opposed to most 2D-echocardiographic studies. Ultrasound measurement of RV volumes is challenging; therefore, most CS echocardiographic studies have mainly focused on the LV [19, 21, 38,39,40,41], whereas CMR studies suggest an impairment in both left and right ventricles. The RV is anatomically and functionally different from the LV. In the absence of clear alterations in pulmonary resistance, our findings suggest RV involvement is a direct effect of GC excess on cardiomyocytes, whose receptors are equally expressed in left and right ventricles in donor hearts and dilated cardiomyopathy [43].

Cardiac morphological alterations in our cohort were not related to increased myocardial fibrosis, as we did not find any difference between patients and controls in T1 mapping evaluation, probably also due to the superimposable cardiometabolic profile of the two study groups. Albeit patients had non-significantly higher postcontrast T1 values, none had ECV values compatible with fibrosis. Similarly, Roux and coworkers evaluated 10 patients with active CD matched with 10 hypertensive and 10 healthy controls and performed a CMR study using the T1 mapping technique and found increased native myocardial T1 in CD, independently from hypertension, without differences in myocardial partition coefficient (λ) between groups. These results support the hypothesis of a potential role of T1 mapping in identifying early biomarkers of subclinical myocardial fibrosis in this disease [26].

Even though we didn’t find any significant correlation between indicators of hypercortisolism severity (UFC x ULN, disease duration) and CMR parameters, the independency of cardiac alterations from traditional cardiometabolic risk factors, claims a direct role of hypercortisolism on cardiac impairment, acting as a fingerprint of GC excess exposure. Our data point toward a persistent toxic effect on the heart, mediated directly through GC and/or mineralocorticoid receptors [2, 11, 44], that produces changes in cardiac structure that are clinically silent but long-lasting, as if the heart retained a memory of GC excess exposure. The mineralocorticoid pathway increases collagen secretion by activating fibroblasts [45]. In addition, stimulating mineralocorticoid receptors decreases myocyte contractility and stimulates mitosis, resulting in myocardial hypertrophy and dysfunction [46]. However, previous data on mineralocorticoid antagonism in GC-induced hypertension did not prove convincing [47], disclosing the need for direct control of GC receptors (for example, via selective GC receptor antagonists such as relacorilant). Indeed, there is evidence supporting the role of GCs in driving alterations in vasoactive substances, thus impacting the balance between vasoconstriction and vasodilation (including catecholamines, nitric oxide, and atrial natriuretic peptide), as well as the activation of the renin-angiotensin system, leading to cardiac hypercontractility [11, 48].

The present study has shown more structural rather than functional changes at CMR in CS patients without evidence of fibrosis, thus suggesting the latter probably as a late phenomenon.

Additive to the direct role of cortisol, almost 60% of our patients presented hypertension, which could have contributed to the development of cardiac impairment. Similarly, the impact of other CS-related cardiovascular risk factors, such as visceral obesity, glucose intolerance and dyslipidemia, cannot be entirely ruled out.

Finally, our study showed for the first time that sex might affect cardiac morphological changes induced by GC excess. Male CS patients exhibited higher IVS thickness compared to females after adjusting for population age and sex reference ranges, independently from the prevalence of hypertension, supporting sex-related differences as observed in other cardiovascular diseases [49, 50]. Recently, a study by Wolf et al. showed that male sex was an independent predictor of increased epicardial and pericardial fat [28], which may play a role in the pathogenesis of CS cardiomyopathy. However, among CS patients, we did not find any differences in the prevalence of male and female hypogonadism (50% vs 42%, p = 1.000). Still, we can not exclude that estrogen exposure could have protected GC-related cardiomyopathy [51].

Very few studies have evaluated cardiac structure and function in CS using CMR, and this is a strength of the current study. However, it does have some limitations. The cross-sectional design and the lack of sample size in such a small and heterogeneous study population with different etiologies of endogenous CS, including both cured and well-controlled patients, might have underestimated the cardiac impairment. Anyway, considering that CS is a rare disease, we opted for a study design closer to a CS clinic’s real-life setting; this aspect represents a strength of this study. Nevertheless, according to the published evidence, as well as to our results, it is likely that cardiac dysfunction might persist in CS even after disease remission. Indeed, although our CS patients had higher biventricular volumes, the subgroup comparison between surgically cured and drug-treated patients revealed no differences in cardiac morphology or biochemical or cardiometabolic complications prevalence, althoghut the lack of standardization of the evaluation period. A previous paper found a significantly higher LVMi in active patients than in remission [27]. Anyway, longitudinal studies (baseline versus post-treatment) with larger population are needed to better clarify the reversibility of cardiac changes after treatment.

We propose a novel approach to cardiac disease in CS, going beyond the traditional cardiometabolic risk factors and evaluating both ventricles, preferably with CMR. Moreover, the present study highlights the importance of a sex-oriented approach in the management of CS complications, taking into account the sex-related differences in cardiac damage of these patients, for whom cardiac complications still represent the major cause of death, very often occurring during remission [2].

Conclusions

In CS biventricular cardiac remodeling associated with functional impairment, has been ascribed to a multifactorial pathogenesis. Our findings highlight the greater contribution of direct effect of GC excess exposure on myocardium than on cardiovascular risk factors, suggesting a sex-related differences in cardiac impairment. More importantly, the maladaptive change triggered by chronic exposure to GC excess, even if the latter is resolved, is persistent and clinically silent and could be detected though a more sensitive and precise approach with CMR.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Funding

This work was supported by the PRecisiOn Medicine to Target Frailty of Endocrine-metabolic Origin (PROMETEO) project (NET-2018-12365454) by the Ministry of Health and the European Union – NextGenerationEU through the Italian Ministry of University and Research under PNRR – M4C2-I1.3 Project PE_00000019 “HEAL ITALIA” to Andrea Isidori CUP B53C22004000006. Open access funding provided by Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza within the CRUI-CARE Agreement.

Author information

Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Tiziana Feola, Alessia Cozzolino
  2. These authors jointly supervised this work: Andrea M. Isidori, Elisa Giannetta

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Tiziana Feola, Alessia Cozzolino, Dario De Alcubierre, Federica Campolo, Andrea M. Isidori & Elisa Giannetta

  2. Neuroendocrinology, Neuromed Institute, IRCCS, Pozzilli, Italy

    Tiziana Feola & Dario De Alcubierre

  3. Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, Churchill Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals, NHS Trust, Oxford, UK

    Riccardo Pofi

  4. Department of Radiological Sciences, Oncology and Pathology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Nicola Galea & Carlo Catalano

  5. Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Università Federico II di Napoli, Naples, Italy

    Chiara Simeoli, Nicola Di Paola & Rosario Pivonello

  6. Centre for Rare Diseases (ENDO-ERN accredited), Policlinico Umberto I, Rome, Italy

    Andrea M. Isidori

Contributions

A.M.I., E.G., T.F., A.C. contributed to the idea and design of the study, analysis of the data, and writing of the manuscript. D.D.A., R.P., C.S., N.D.P., F.C. and R.P.i. contributed to the design of the study, analysis of the data, and revision of the report. T.F., A.C., D.D.A., N.G. and C.C. analyzed the data. All authors contributed to the interpretation of the data and the writing of the paper. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Andrea M. Isidori or Elisa Giannetta.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

RPi has received research support to Università Federico II di Napoli as a principal investigator for clinical trials from Novartis Pharma, Recordati, Strongbridge Biopharma, Corcept Therapeutics, HRA Pharma, Shire, Takeda, Neurocrine Biosciences, Camurus AB, and Pfizer, has received research support to Università Federico II di Napoli from Pfizer, Ipsen, Novartis Pharma, Strongbridge Biopharma, Merk Serono, and Ibsa, and received occasional consulting honoraria from Novartis Pharma, Recordati, Strongbridge Biopharma, HRA Pharma, Crinetics Pharmaceuticals, Corcept Therapeutics, Pfizer, and Bresmed Health Solutions. AMI has been a consultant for Novartis, Takeda, Recordati, and Sandoz companies and has received unconditional research grants from Shire, IPSEN, and Pfizer. All the other authors have nothing to disclose.

Consent to publish

The authors affirm that human research participants provided informed consent for publication of the images in Fig. 1.

Ethics approval and conset to participate

All patients provided written informed consent after fully explaining the purpose and nature of all procedures used. The study was approved by the Ethical Committee of Policlinico Umberto I (ref. number 4245). The study has been performed according to the ethical standards of the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments.

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Cite this article

Feola, T., Cozzolino, A., De Alcubierre, D. et al. Cardiac magnetic resonance reveals biventricular impairment in Cushing’s syndrome: a multicentre case-control study. Endocrine (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-024-03856-7

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Day 6: Cushing’s Awareness Challenge

Posted on April 6, 2024 by MaryO

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The above is the official Cushing’s path to a diagnosis but here’s how it seems to be in real life:

Egads!  I remember the naive, simple days when I thought I’d give them a tube or two of blood and they’d tell me I had Cushing’s for sure.

Who knew that diagnosing Cushing’s would be years of testing, weeks of collecting every drop of urine, countless blood tests, many CT and MRI scans…

Then going to NIH, repeating all the above over 6 weeks inpatient plus an IPSS test, an apheresis (this was experimental at NIH) and specialty blood tests…

The path to a Cushing’s diagnosis is a long and arduous one but you have to stick with it if you believe you have this Syndrome.

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Day 1: Cushing’s Awareness Challenge

Posted on April 1, 2024 by MaryO

April is always Cushing’s Awareness Challenge month because Dr. Harvey Cushing was born on April 8th, 1869.

30-posts

Thanks to Robin for this wonderful past logo!  I’ve participated in these 30 days for Cushing’s Awareness several times so I’m not quite sure what is left to say this year but I always want to get the word out when I can.

As I see it, there have been some strides the diagnosis or treatment of Cushing’s since last year.  More drug companies are getting involved, more doctors seem to be willing to test, a bit more awareness, maybe.

April Fool's Day

How fitting that this challenge should begin on April Fool’s Day.  So much of Cushing’s  Syndrome/Disease makes us Cushies seem like we’re the April Fool.  Maybe, just maybe, it’s the doctors who are the April Fools…

Doctors tell us Cushing’s is too rare – you couldn’t possibly have it.  April Fools!

All you have to do is exercise and diet.  You’ll feel better.  April Fools!

Those bruises on your legs?  You’re just clumsy. April Fools!

Sorry you’re growing all that hair on your chin.  That happens as you age, you know.  April Fools!

Did you say you sleep all day?  You’re just lazy.  If you exercised more, you’d have more energy. April Fools!

You don’t have stretch marks.  April Fools!

You have stretch marks but they are the wrong [color/length/direction] April Fools!

The hump on the back of your neck is from your poor posture. April Fools!

Your MRI didn’t show a tumor.  You couldn’t have Cushing’s. April Fools!

This is all in your mind.  Take this prescription for antidepressants and go home.  April Fools!

If you have this one surgery, your life will get back to normal within a few months. April Fools!

What?  You had transsphenoidal surgery for Cushing’s?  You wasted your time and money. April Fools!

I am the doctor.  I know everything.  Do not try to find out any information online. You could not have Cushing’s.  It’s too rare…  April FOOL!

All this reminds me of a wonderful video a message board member posted a while ago:

So now – who is the April Fool?  It wasn’t me.  Don’t let it be you, either!

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Medium and Long-Term Data from a Series of 96 Endoscopic Transsphenoidal Surgeries for Cushing Disease

Posted on March 29, 2024 by MaryO

Objective

Postoperative data on Cushing’s disease (CD) are equivocal in the literature. These discrepancies may be attributed to different series with different criteria for remission and variable follow-up durations. Additional data from experienced centers may address these discrepancies. In this study, we present the results obtained from 96 endoscopic transsphenoidal surgeries (ETSSs) for CD conducted in a well-experienced center.

Methods

Pre- and postoperative data of 96 ETSS in 87 patients with CD were included. All cases were handled by the same neurosurgical team between 2014 and 2022. We obtained data on remission status 3−6 months postoperatively (medium-term) and during the latest follow-up (long-term). Additionally, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and pathology results were obtained for each case.

Results

The mean follow-up duration was 39.5±3.2 months. Medium and long-term remission rates were 77% and 82%, respectively. When only first-time operations were considered, the medium- and long-term remission rates were 78% and 82%, respectively. The recurrence rate in this series was 2.5%. Patients who showed remission between 3−6 months had higher longterm remission rates than did those without initial remission. Tumors >2 cm and extended tumor invasion of the cavernous sinus (Knosp 4) were associated with lower postoperative remission rates.

Conclusion

Adenoma size and the presence/absence of cavernous sinus invasion on preopera-tive MRI may predict long-term postoperative remission. A tumor size of 2 cm may be a supporting criterion for predicting remission in Knosp 4 tumors. Further studies with larger patient populations are necessary to support this finding.

Key Words: Complete remission · Neuroendoscopy · Pituitary-dependant Cushing syndrome · Treatment outcome.

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INTRODUCTION

Cushing’s disease (CD) is characterized by excessive secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) by a corticotropic adenoma in the pituitary gland. In patients with CD whose hypercortisolism is inadequately corrected, morbidity and mortality can increase by up to 4.8 times due to Cushingrelated complications such as osteoporosis, hypertension, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and hypercoagulability [11,18].
Endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery (ETSS), the first-line treatment for CD [7], is performed to decrease complications while achieving remission and long-term disease control. Previous studies on CD have reported varying remission rates between 45% and 95% and recurrence rates ranging from 3−66% [2,4,9,16,21,30]. This wide range of differences can be primarily attributed to differences in surgical experience among centers: centers with higher surgical experience have fewer postoperative complications and higher remission rates [4,6]. However, despite initial remission, patients with CD may eventually experience recurrence. The mean recurrence rate at the 5-10-year follow-up is 23% for microadenomas and 33% for macroadenomas [19,23,30].
Since the postoperative rates in the literature are variable, additional data from experienced centers may be necessary to resolve these discrepancies. In this study, we present the medium- and long-term follow-up data from 96 operations for CD that were conducted in a center with a high level of experience for ETSS.
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MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki (as revised in 2013). The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Basaksehir Cam and Sakura City Hospital (No. 2022185). Informed consent was obtained from all patients. The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
This retrospective study included pre and postoperative data of 96 ETSS performed in 87 patients with CD (Fig. 1). CD was diagnosed based on unsuppressed cortisol levels (>1.8 µg/dL) following the 1-mg dexamethasone suppression test, high levels of urinary free cortisol, or late night salivary cortisol and plasma ACTH levels >20 pg/mL [28]. Between 2014 and 2022, all surgeries were conducted by the experienced neurosurgical team (Ö.G., O.T., B.E., E.A.) responsible for endoscopic transsphenoidal procedures at the Pituitary Research Center. The surgeries were performed under perioperative glucocorticoid coverage.

jkns-2023-0100f1.jpg
Fig. 1.
Number of operations and patients included in the study.

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Size, cavernous sinus invasion, sellar and suprasellar infiltration of adenoma on preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, residual tumor on postoperative MRI scans, postoperative complications, pathology results, remission and recurrence status, and additional postoperative management were evaluated in addition to patients’ demographic data. For follow-up assessments, data obtained 3−6 months postoperatively and during the latest follow-up were included. Three different classifications obtained during radiologic evaluation using MRI were used for pituitary adenomas : 1) maximum size of tumor (MST) : 0−5 mm (group 1), 6−10 mm (group 2), 11−20 mm (group 3), and >20 mm (group 4); 2) Knosp classification : for evaluation of cavernous sinus invasion [22]; and 3) modified Hardy classification : for evaluation of sellar and suprasellar infiltrations [20,39].
In cases of CD without a lesion or with a lesion <6 mm on MRI, confirmation of the central origin and lateralization was provided by inferior petrosal sinus sampling (IPSS) with corticotropin-releasing hormone stimulation [25,26,29]. Under neuronavigation guidance, pure ETSS surgical interventions were performed for all patients by a single surgical team using the Medtronic StealthStation™ S7 and S8 systems (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA) together with 4-mm 0°, 30°, and 45° rigid optical instruments and an endoscope. A nasal decongestant spray was administered 1 hour before the operation. The sphenoid ostium was detected from both nostrils, and a bi-nostril approach was used by resecting the posterior nasal septum. After sphenoidectomy, the standard sellar approach was used for lesions in the sellar region. The details of these surgical procedures are described in previous study [14]. Selective adenectomy with ETSS was performed for preoperatively localized and visible tumors, whereas hemihypophysectomy was performed for non-lesional cases. In cases with cavernous sinus-invading tumors, particularly Knops 3-4, the defect which was created by the tumor on the medial wall of anterior cavernous sinus was identified and, it was expanded for resection of the tumor tissue within the cavernous sinus. If a defect was not visible, blunt-ended hook-shaped dissectors were used to create a defect on the medial wall, allowing access for the tumor to enter the cavernous sinus. Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) and immunohistochemistry staining were performed for the specimens obtained during ETSS. Adenomas showing positive immunohistological staining for ACTH were diagnosed histologically as corticotropinomas.
CD was considered to be in remission when the cases showed basal cortisol levels <5 µg/dL or suppressed cortisol levels (≤1.8 µg/dL) following the 1-mg dexamethasone suppression test, 3-6 months postoperation, and during the latest follow-up. The study protocol was approved by the ethics committee of our institution.
Data were statistically analyzed using the SPSS 15.0 package (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). The chi-square test was used for categorical variables. Sample distribution was evaluated with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Continuous independent variables with a normal distribution were compared using the Student’s t-test. Continuous variables with non-normal distributions were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. A Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was conducted to determine probability and time to recurrence in cases with initial remission.
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RESULTS

Demographic data

A total of 96 ETSS were performed for 87 patients with CD. Of the 87 patients, 68 (79%) were female, and 19 (21%) were male. The mean patient age was 42.2±12.9 years, and the mean duration of follow-up was 39.5±3.2 months. Of the 96 surgeries, 79 (82%) were performed for the first time, six (6%) were performed for residual tumors, and 11 (12%) were performed following a recurrence of the disease. Eight of the 17 patients who underwent reoperations had undergone their first operation at another center.

Preoperative imaging

Table 1 shows the maximum tumor size on preoperative pituitary MRI before each surgical procedure. Preoperative IPSS for lateralization was performed in 42 operations (44%), all of which were first-time cases. Knosp classification based on preoperative pituitary MRI and the modified Hardy classification is presented in Table 1.

Table 1.

Preoperative pituitary magnetic resonance imaging scans

Number of tumors (n=96)
Maximum tumor size
 Group 1, 0−5 mm 41 (42.7)
 Group 2, 6−10 mm 24 (25.0)
 Group 3, 11−20 mm 20 (20.8)
 Group 4, >20 mm 11 (11.5)
Knosp classification
 Grade 0 52 (54.2)
 Grade 1 22 (22.9)
 Grade 2 6 (6.3)
 Grade 3 8 (8.3)
 Grade 4 8 (8.3)
Modified Hardy classification
 0
  A 41 (42.8)
  B –
  C –
  D –
  E –
 1
  A 14 (14.6)
  B –
  C –
  D –
  E 4 (4.2)
 2
  A 5 (5.2)
  B –
  C –
  D –
  E 5 (5.2)
 3
  A 1 (1.0)
  B 2 (2.1)
  C –
  D –
  E 1 (1.0)
 4
  A 1 (1.0)
  B –
  C –
  D 1 (1.0)
  E 3 (3.1)
 NA 18 (18.8)

Values are presented as number (%). Invasion : 0, sella normal; 1, sella focally expanded and tumor ≤10 mm; 2, sella enlarged and tumor ≥10 mm; 3, localized perforation of the sellar floor; 4, diffuse destruction of the sellar floor. Suprasellar extension : A, no suprasellar extension; B, anterior recesses of the third ventricle obliterated; C, floor of the third ventricle grossly displaced with parasellar extension; D, intracranial (intradural) : anterior, middle or middle fossa; E, into/beneath the cavernous sinus (extradural).

NA : not available

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Postoperative results

Remission was achieved between the 3rd and 6th months in 74 (77%) of the 96 operations, and long-term remission in 79 operations (82%). Among all 96 operations, eight (8%) concluded with a residual tumor. Regarding only first-time operations, five (6%) of the 79 concluded with a postoperative residual tumor. Of the 79 first-time operations, there were 62 cases (78%) of remission between 3 and 6 months. Two (2.5%) of these 79 operations involved recurrence during follow-up, while 60 (97%) showed sustained remission. Those with sustained remission had a median disease-free survival time of 31 months (interquartile range, 14-64) during long-term followup, two cases with recurrence had their recurrence 49 and 54 months after their operation. Survival analysis of cases with remisson and recurrence is presented in Fig. 2. CD persisted after 17 (21.5%) of the 79 first operations.

jkns-2023-0100f2.jpg
Fig. 2.
Survival analysis after the first operation in cases with remission at 3-6 months. Dashed line represents cases with recurrence and, straight line represents cases with sustained remission during long-term follow-up.

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Ten (13%) of the 79 cases underwent reoperation; two were due to recurrence, and eight due to disease persistence. In five cases (29%), the patients were initially unresponsive but showed remission later during the long-term follow-up. Remission was achieved with stereotactic radiosurgery (STRS) and medical treatment in one of these cases, with only STRS in two and only medical treatment in two cases. At the latest follow-up visit, the total number of cases showing remission after the first operation was 65 (82%). Additional details regarding the results of the first operations are provided in Fig. 3.

jkns-2023-0100f3.jpg
Fig. 3.
Results of the cases who had operation for the first time.

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Of the 18 reoperations, the results for one case were excluded since the patient was operated at another center. After the reoperation (n=17), the medium and long-term remission rates were 71% (n=12) and 77% (n=13), respectively. The 3-6-month remission rate did not differ significantly between first-time and reoperations (p=0.5). Residual tumors were present in three cases (18%) after reoperation. Of the early non-responders, one case showed remission after STRS, and none of the responders showed recurrence during long-term follow-up. Additional details regarding the results of reoperations are provided in Fig. 4.

jkns-2023-0100f4.jpg
Fig. 4.
Results of the reoperations in our center.

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Remission rates based on tumor size are presented in Table 2. The initial remission rates of the tumors in MST group 4 were significantly lower than those in the other MST groups (MST 1 vs. 4, p=0.01; MST 2 vs. 4, p=0.001; and MST 3 vs. 4, p=0.006). Comparisons of the other MST groups showed no significant differences. When adenomas were stratified using the 10-mm cut-off, the remission rates did not differ significantly (remission rate, 81% for adenomas <10 mm and 68% for adenomas ≥10 mm; p=0.2). Postoperative residual tumors were observed in five of the 11 tumors (46%) >2 cm (MST group 4) and in one tumor in each of MST groups 1-3 (2%, 4%, and 5%, respectively, p<0.001). Reoperation rate was 17% (n=7) for adenomas ≤5 mm, 18% (n=10) for adenomas ≥6 mm (p=0.9), and 27% (n=3) for adenomas >20 mm (among all grades, p=0.3).

Table 2.

Comparison of remission rates in preoperative pituitary magnetic resonance imaging scans

3−6-month remission Long-term remission
Maximum tumor size
 Group 1, 0−5 mm (n=41) 31 (75.6) 33 (80.5)
 Group 2, 6−10 mm (n=24) 22 (91.7) 22 (91.7)
 Group 3, 10−20 mm (n=20) 17 (85.0) 17 (85.0)
 Group 4, >20 mm (n=11) 4 (36.4) 7 (63.6)
 p-value 0.003* 0.200
Knops classification
 0 (n=52) 41 (78.8) 44 (84.6)
 1 (n=22) 21 (95.5) 21 (95.5)
 2 (n=6) 4 (66.7) 3 (50.0)
 3 (n=8) 7 (87.5) 7 (87.5)
 4 (n=8) 1 (12.5) 4 (50.0)
 p-value <0.001* 0.010*
Modified Hardy classification
 0
  A (n=41) 32 (78.0) 34 (82.9)
 1
  A (n=14) 12 (85.7) 12 (85.7)
 2
  E (n=4) 3 (75.0) 3 (75.0)
  A (n=5) 5 (100.0) 5 (100.0)
 3
  E (n=5) 2 (40.0) 2 (40.0)
  A (n=1) 1 (100.0) 1 (100.0)
  B (n=2) 2 (100.0) 2 (100.0)
 4
  E (n=1) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0)
  A (n=1) 1 (100.0) 1 (100.0)
  D (n=1) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0)
  E (n=3) 1 (33.3) 3 (100.0)
 p-value 0.10 0.06
Pathology result
 Corticotropinoma (+) (n=71) 58 (81.7) 60 (84.5)
 Corticotropinoma (-) (n=25) 16 (64.0) 19 (76.0)
 p-value 0.07 0.30

Values are presented as number (%). Invasion : 0, sella normal; 1, sella focally expanded and tumor ≤10 mm; 2, sella enlarged and tumor ≥10 mm; 3, localized perforation of the sellar floor; 4, diffuse destruction of the sellar floor. Suprasellar extension : A, no suprasellar extension; B, anterior recesses of the third ventricle obliterated; D, intracranial (intradural) with anterior, middle, or middle fossa; E, into/beneath the cavernous sinus (extradural).

* Statistically significant p-value

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Remission rates based on Knosp and Hardy classifications are presented in Table 2, respectively. The medium-term remission rates in Knosp group 4 were significantly lower than the rates in the other groups (Knosp 0 vs. 4, p<0.001; Knosp 1 vs. 4, p<0.001; Knosp 2 vs. 4, p=0.04; and Knosp 3 vs. 4, p=0.003). Additionally, the medium-term remission rate of tumors in Knosp group 2 was lower than that in Knosp group 1 (p=0.04). However, remission rates did not differ significantly among the other groups. Comparing invasive (Knosp 3 and 4) and noninvasive (Knosp 0, 1, and 2) tumors, remission rates within 3-6 months were 50% and 83% in the invasive and noninvasive groups, respectively. We further stratified cases with tumor size ≥20 mm (n=11) using Knosp classification; one case (9%) was Knosp 0, one case (9%) was Knosp 1, two cases (18%) were Knosp 3, and seven cases (64%) were Knosp 4 tumors. For ≥20 mm, all cases with Knosp 0, 1, and 3 tumors achieved remission within 3-6 months postoperatively, while none of the cases with Knosp 4 tumors had remission (p=0.01). All the cases with Knosp 0, 1, and 3 tumors sustained remission, and three cases with Knosp 4 tumor later achieved long-term remission (p=0.3). Of the cases that achieved long-term remission, two underwent STRS, and one had medical therapy with additional STRS.
Of the 96 tissue specimens obtained during ETSS, 71 (74%) stained positive for ACTH and were histologically identified as corticotropic adenomas, while 25 (26%) were negative. Remission rates based on the pathology results are compared in Table 2. Of the lesions with conclusive findings on MRI (≥6 mm lesions), 89% (n=49) were pathologically confirmed as corticotropinomas, whereas 54% (n=22) of those with inconclusive MRI f indings were pathologically conf irmed (p<0.001). Among the lesions that showed negative results for both conclusive MRI findings (≤5 mm) and pathologic confirmation (negative for a corticotropinoma) (n=19), 12 (63%) showed remission at 3-6 months and 14 (74%) showed remission during long-term follow-up.
During the exploration of the cavernous sinus in one patient (1%), postoperative lateral gaze paralysis of the eye developed due to right abducens nerve palsy. The patient was treated with anti-inflammatory doses of steroids, and the symptom completely resolved within 1 month. In three other patients (3%), severe epistaxis was observed in the postoperative period, 1 to 3 weeks after surgery. Nasal packing was applied for 3 days. Additionally, three patients (3%) experienced postoperative rhinorrhea. To address this issue, a reconstruction of the skull base was performed using fat tissue harvested from the leg, fascia lata graft, and tissue adhesive material. These patients were monitored with a lumbar drain for 1 week. Among the patients who developed rhinorrhea, one patient also developed meningitis and received intravenous antibiotic therapy for about 3 weeks and, the situation compeletly resolved during follow-up. The postoperative complications are summarized in Table 3. Comparison of various characteristics of the cases with and without medium and long-term remission are presented in Table 3, respectively.

Table 3.

Comparison of cases with and without remission, postoperative complications

3−6-month remission

 Long-term remission

 Number of cases (n=96)
Remission (+) (n=74) Remission (-) (n=22) p-value Remission (+) (n=79) Remission (-) (n=17) p-value
Operation 0.500 0.08
 First time 62 (83.8) 17 (77.3) 66 (83.5) 13 (76.5)
 Re-operation 12 (16.2) 5 (22.7) 13 (16.5) 4 (23.5)
Tumor characteristics 0.003* 0.20
 MST
  Grade 1 31 (42.0) 10 (45.0) 33 (41.8) 8 (47.1)
  Grade 2 22 (30.0) 2 (9.0) 22 (27.8) 2 (11.8)
  Grade 3 17 (23.0) 3 (14.0) 17 (21.5) 3 (17.6)
  Grade 4 4 (5.0) 7 (32.0) 7 (8.9) 4 (23.5)
 Knosp classification <0.001* 0.01*
  0 41 (56.0) 11 (50.0) 44 (55.5) 9 (53.0)
  1 21 (28.0) 1 (4.5) 21 (26.5) 2 (12.0)
  2 4 (5.0) 2 (9.0) 3 (4.0) 1 (6.0)
  3 7 (10.0) 1 (4.5) 7 (9.0) 1 (6.0)
  4 1 (1.0) 7 (32.0) 4 (5.0) 4 (23.0)
 Hardy classification 0.09 0.06
  0A 32 (43.2) 9 (41.0) 34 (43.0) 7 (41.0)
  1A 12 (16.2) 2 (9.0) 12 (15.0) 2 (12.0)
  1E 3 (4.0) 1 (4.5) 3 (4.0) 1 (6.0)
  2A 5 (6.7) 0 (0.0) 5 (6.0) 0 (0.0)
  2E 2 (2.7) 3 (14.0) 2 (3.0) 3 (17.0)
  3A 1 (1.4) 0 (0.0) 1 (1.0) 0 (0.0)
  3B 2 (2.7) 0 (0.0) 2 (3.0) 0 (0.0)
  3E 0 (0.0) 1 (4.5) 0 (0.0) 1 (6.0)
  4A 1 (1.4) 0 (0.0) 1 (1.0) 0 (0.0)
  4D 0 (0.0) 1 (4.5) 0 (0.0) 1 (6.0)
  4E 1 (1.4) 2 (9.0) 3 (4.0) 0 (0.0)
  NA 15 (20.3) 3 (13.5) 16 (20.0) 2 (12.0)
Postoperative
 Complication 0.900 0.30
  (+) 10 (13.5) 3 (13.6) 12 (15.2) 1 (5.9)
  (-) 64 (86.5) 19 (86.4) 67 (84.8) 16 (94.1)
 Pathologic diagnosis 0.070 0.30
  Corticotropinoma 58 (78.4) 13 (59.1) 60 (75.9) 11 (64.7)
  Negative 16 (21.6) 9 (40.9) 19 (24.1) 6 (35.3)
 Remission during long-term F/U <0.001*
  (+) 72 (97.3) 7 (31.8)
  (-) 2 (2.7) 15 (68.2)
 Residual tumor 0.001*
  (+) 3 (3.8) 5 (29.4)
  (-) 76 (96.2) 12 (70.6)
 Remission during long-term F/U <0.001*
  (+) 72 (91.1) 2 (11.8)
  (-) 7 (8.9) 15 (88.2)
Postoperative complication
 DI-temporary 4 (4.2)
 DI-permanent 4 (4.2)
 Meningitis 1 (1.0)
 CSF leak 3 (3.1)
 Epistaxis 3 (3.1)
 Cranial nerve palsy, transient 1 (1.0)
Hypopituitarism 4 (4.2)
 Hypocortisolism 2 (2.1)
 Hypothyroidisim 2 (2.1)

Values are presented as number (%). *Statistically significant p-values. MST : maximum size of tumor, NA : not available, F/U : follow up, DI : diabetes insipidus, CSF : cerebrospinal fluid

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DISCUSSION

This study reported an overall postoperative 3-6 month remission rate of 77% and a long-term remission rate of 82% after 3 years of follow-up. The initial and long-term remission rates after first operations were 78% and 82%, respectively, with a recurrence rate of 2.5% over a follow-up period of 3-3.5 years. Additionally, our findings revealed that tumor size >2 cm and extended tumor invasion of the cavernous sinus (Knosp 4) might be associated with lower postoperative remission rates. Patients who showed remission within 3-6 months showed higher rates of long-term remission than those in patients without initial remission.
Pituitary surgery is the first-line treatment modality for CD. ETSS is a safe and less invasive method for treating pituitary adenomas; therefore, it has been increasingly preferred in CD [5,15]. However, the postsurgical outcomes in patients with CD have shown variable remission and recurrence rates [2,4,9,16,17,21,30]. These discrepancies may be attributable to differences in population and number of cases involved in the studies, tumor characteristics, criteria for remission and recurrence used by the centers, laboratory parameters, time of evaluation and followup durations, surgical and imaging techniques used by different centers, and neurosurgical expertise.
In this study, we present the medium- and long-term postoperative results of 96 ETSS procedures performed in 87 patients. The medium-term results (obtained 3-6 months postoperation) were preferred to immediate results since a subset of cases may show delayed remission, and immediate postoperative results could be misleading in almost 6% of cases [37]. The overall medium-term remission rate was 77%, consistent with the results published by Serban et al. [34], who reported an overall remission rate of 77% 2 months postoperation. A larger series of 1106 cases reported an immediate remission rate of 72.5% within 7 days postoperation; however, this rate decreased to 67% after delayed remission rates and recurrences 56 months postoperation were considered [12]. The long-term remission rate obtained over a median period of 3 years was 82% in our series. The increased long-term remission rate was attributed to reoperations, additional medical therapies, and the use of STRS in those who did not show remission initially.
Of the 96 procedures, 79 were performed for the first time. The medium-term remission rate after first operations was 78%. Recent studies have reported remission rates of 74-82% after first operations [12,34]. The recurrence rates reported previously varied between 3% and 66% [5,12,34]. However, the duration of follow-up differed among the studies. Dai et al. [12] and Brady et al. [5] reported recurrence rates of 12% and 3%, respectively, after a follow-up period of 2 years. In contrast, Serban et al. [34] reported a recurrence rate of 17% after a longer followup duration of 6 years. In this series, after a median follow-up period of 3 years, the overall recurrence rate was 2.5%. Residual tumors were observed in five cases (6%), and the reoperation rate after the first operation was 13%. Including the eight patients admitted for reoperation after having undergone their first surgery in another center, 17 cases involved reoperations in our center. Of these cases, 71% (n=12) showed remission between 3-6 months postoperation, while none showed recurrence; thus, the long-term remission rate was 77%. Residual tumors were detected in three cases (18%), and the disease persisted in four (24%) of these 17 reoperated cases. Previous studies have reported remission rates of 22-75% after repeated surgery in CD [5,12,34,38]. Although the success rates after reoperations were lower than those in first-time operations in some studies [38], the remission rates after the first and reoperations did not differ significantly in our study.
Tumor size has been reported to contribute to the success of transsphenoidal surgery [12,34], with microadenomas showing a higher success rate after surgery [5,12,34]. Our remission rates for micro- and macroadenomas were similar to those reported by Dai et al. [12] : 81% for adenomas <10 mm and 68% for adenomas ≥10 mm. However, the statistical significance of our study differed from that in the series presented by Dai et al. [12] (p=0.2 vs. p=0.002). This may be due to the large difference in the number of cases included in the two studies and the differences in size scales for tumors ≥10 mm. In our series, when the tumors were stratified further by the tumor size, the medium-term remission rate further decreased to 36% for tumors ≥20 mm in size, although the remission rates for other groups <20 mm were all above 75% (p=0.003). Sharifi et al. [35] classified pituitary MRI scans in CD showing a tumor size <6 mm as “inconclusive” because incidentalomas are frequent among tumors in this size range, and this size is not indicative of CD. Previously published series reported that the rate of inconclusive MRI scans in CD was 36-64%, and the remission rates varied between 50% and 71% for those with an inconclusive MRI scan [10,24,27,32,33]. In our series, 54% of the preoperative MRI scans were inconclusive. In the series presented by Sharifi et al. [35] and some other series [8,12,32,36], no significant difference was observed between the remission rates of CD cases with and without a conclusive MRI.This finding is controversial since other studies showed decreased remission rates with preoperative inconclusive MRIs [13,40]. Similar to the results reported by Sharifi et al. [35], we did not find a statistically significant difference between the remission rates of tumors <6 mm and those between 6-20 mm. However, a significant difference was observed between tumors <6 mm and those ≥20 mm. Residual tumors were more frequent after operating tumors >20 mm compared to those <20 mm, but the number of reoperations did not differ among the groups. Additionally, tumors >20 mm were primarily Knosp 4 (64%), probably contributing to lower remission rates in this group. Interestingly, two Knosp 3 cases had postoperative remission within 3-6 months without additional intervention. In these two cases, the surgical team explored the cavernous sinus and could resect the tumor. However, complete excision was not feasible with Knosp 4 tumors, where there is a complete encasement of the intracavernous internal carotid artery. Thus, a tumor size of 20 mm may be supportive data in predicting non-remission in the presence of complete cavernous sinus infiltration.
Cavernous sinus invasion, determined by the Knosp classification, and sellar invasion and/or suprasellar extension, determined by the Hardy-Wilson classification, indicate the radiologic status of local invasion in cases of pituitary tumors [20,22,39]. Invasion to surrounding structures and tissues may be a limiting factor for postoperative remission of pituitary tumors. In the series presented by Dai et al. [12], remission rates of corticotropinomas with Knosp grade 4 (definitive cavernous sinus invasion) dropped to 53% from a remission rate of 77% for corticotropinomas with less likely or no cavernous sinus invasion (p<0.001). Similarly, our results showed that both medium- and long-term remission rates for Knosp grade 4 tumors decreased to 13% and 50%, respectively, and were lower than the remission rates in other grades (p<0.001 and p=0.01, respectively). While remission rates in Knosp group 3 were not inferior to noninvasive tumors, remission rates in Knosp group 4 were lower than all the other groups. In this regard, the extent of invasion may be more determinative. In contrast, in our series, the modified Hardy classification did not show a significant effect on postoperative remission rates in medium- and long-term follow-up assessments. Araujo-Castro et al. [3] had previously shown that for pituitary adenomas, the Hardy-Wilson classification lacked utility in predicting postoperative remission compared to the Knosp classification. The difference in the utility of these classifications for predicting postoperative remission may be due to differences in accessing tissues during surgery.
In the present series, 74% (n=71) of tissues were histologically proven to be corticotropinomas, while 26% (n=25) did not show histologic confirmation. Medium- and long-term remission rates did not differ between histologically proven and unproven CD cases (medium-term remission rates, 82% vs. 64%, p=0.07; long-term remission rates, 85% vs. 76%, p=0.3). A conclusive finding of an adenoma on MRI increased the rate of histologic proof of corticotropinoma in our series, implying that adenomas showing a ≥6-mm lesion on MRI more frequently stained positive for ACTH. In previous studies 12-53% of CD did not have postoperative pathologic identification and the rate increased in those with a preoperative inconclusive MRI [25,31,38]. However, this did not have a significant influence on our remission rates. The remission rates did not decrease even for CD cases that were not conclusively detected on MRI and could not be histologically proven. On the other hand, in previous studies, ACTH positivity was higher, and the lack of proof for a corticotropinoma decreased the remission rates [1,12,31,32,34]. The higher remission rates despite reduced localization with MRI and/or lower rates of histologic confirmation in our series may be explained by the successful preoperative IPSS lateralization, surgical exploration, and hemi-hypophysectomy procedure. Furthermore, tumor tissues might have been aspirated along with blood and other materials through the suction tube, potentially resulting in less histological confirmation despite postoperative remission of CD.
Additionally, tumor tissues might have been aspirated along with blood and other materials through the suction tube, potentially resulting in less histological confirmation despite postoperative remission of CD.
The total rate of complications in this series was 20%, and the most frequent complication was diabetes insipidus (DI; 8%, both permanent and temporary). The incidence of hypopituitarism was relatively lower (4%), mainly involving hypocortisolism and hypothyroidism. Recent studies have shown postoperative DI rates of 25-66% and hypothyroidism rates of 11-23% [5,34]. Although our neurosurgical team was experienced in conducting pituitary surgeries, other factors may have resulted in these differences. Since not all the cases were postoperatively followed in our center, with some patients lost to follow-up, there may be missing data.
Comparing cases with and without remission in the medium term, cases of remission frequently involved adenomas >20 mm and less cavernous sinus invasion. Additionally, cases that achieved medium-term remission showed long-term remission more frequently. In the long term, those showing remission had less cavernous sinus invasion and residual tumors compared to those without remission. Therefore, we may conclude that a tumor size of 20 mm may predict medium-term remission, while the absence of/less cavernous sinus invasion, early remission, and absence of residual tumor may predict long-term remission.
This study had limitations. First, the retrospective nature of the study and the limited number of cases, which was inevitable due to the low incidence of CD, may have distorted our results. Although the same neurosurgical team operated on all patients, they were followed up pre and postoperatively at different endocrinology centers, causing difficulty in obtaining the full postoperative data of certain cases. Lastly, some patients recently underwent ETSS; thus, they had a shorter follow-up period. However, we intend to present the longer-term outcomes of all patients in a separate study.
Although ETSS is the first-line treatment for CD, previous studies on the use of ETSS for CD have reported a wide range of remission and recurrence rates, which can be primarily attributed to differences in the surgical experience levels among centers. This trend highlights the need for additional data from experienced centers to resolve the discrepancies in the existing data. Therefore, we present medium- and long-term follow-up data from 96 operations for CD conducted in a center with a high level of experience for ETSS. We believe our study makes a significant contribution to the literature because the findings reconfirm the usefulness of ETSS for the treatment of CD and highlight the importance of the size of the adenoma and presence/absence of cavernous sinus invasion on preoperative MRI in predicting long-term remission postoperatively.
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CONCLUSION

ETSS is a safe and effective method for the treatment of CD. Some characteristics of adenomas, such as size, cavernous sinus invasion, and postoperative residue, may predict long-term remission. A tumor size of 2 cm may be a supporting criterion for predicting remission status in the presence of complete cavernous sinus infiltration. Further studies with larger patient populations are necessary to support this finding.
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Notes

Conflicts of interest

No potential conflicts of interest relevant to this study exist.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in this study.

Author contributions

Conceptualization : BE, MB, EH; Data curation : EA, OH, DT, MM; Formal analysis : LŞP, DAB, DT, İÇ; Funding acquisition : OT, ÖG, DAB; Methodology : LŞP, İÇ, MM, ÖG; Project administration : BE, SÇ, EH; Visualization : EA, OT, OH; Writing – original draft : BE, MB, SÇ; Writing – review & editing : BE, EH

Data sharing

None

Preprint

None

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Acknowledgements

This manuscript was edited by a certified English Proofreading Service (Editage).
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28. Nieman LK, Biller BM, Findling JW, Newell-Price J, Savage MO, Stewart PM, et al : The diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome: an Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 93 : 1526-1540, 2008
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29. Oldfield EH, Doppman JL, Nieman LK, Chrousos GP, Miller DL, Katz DA, et al : Petrosal sinus sampling with and without corticotropin-releasing hormone for the differential diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome. N Engl J Med 325 : 897-905, 1991
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30. Petersenn S, Beckers A, Ferone D, van der Lely A, Bollerslev J, Boscaro M, et al : Therapy of endocrine disease: outcomes in patients with Cushing’s disease undergoing transsphenoidal surgery: systematic review assessing criteria used to define remission and recurrence. Eur J Endocrinol 172 : R227-R239, 2015
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31. Prevedello DM, Pouratian N, Sherman J, Jane JA Jr, Vance ML, Lopes MB, et al : Management of Cushing’s disease: outcome in patients with microadenoma detected on pituitary magnetic resonance imaging. J Neurosurg 109 : 751-759, 2008
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32. Salenave S, Gatta B, Pecheur S, San-Galli F, Visot A, Lasjaunias P, et al : Pituitary magnetic resonance imaging findings do not influence surgical outcome in adrenocorticotropin-secreting microadenomas. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 89 : 3371-3376, 2004
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Cushing’s Syndrome in Pregnancy in Which Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy was Safely Performed by a Retroperitoneal Approach

Posted on October 2, 2023 by MaryO

Abstract

Introduction

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy is the standard treatment for adrenal tumors caused by Cushing’s syndrome. However, few pregnant women have undergone adrenalectomy because of the risk of general anesthesia and surgery.

Case presentation

A 28-year-old woman presented with gradually worsening Cushing’s signs at around 12 weeks of pregnancy. Magnetic resonance imaging displayed a 38-mm left adrenal tumor, which was the cause of the adrenal Cushing’s syndrome. Metyrapone was started, which increased androgen levels. Since the management of Cushing’s syndrome by medication alone is challenging, unilateral laparoscopic adrenalectomy by a retroperitoneal approach was performed at 23 weeks of the pregnancy. No perioperative complications were noted.

Conclusion

Adrenalectomy is considered safe in pregnant women with Cushing’s syndrome. Laparoscopic adrenalectomy by retroperitoneal approach should be chosen and performed between 14 and 30 weeks of pregnancy to prevent mother and fetal complications.

Abbreviations & Acronyms

  • CS
  • Cushing’s syndrome
  • MRI
  • magnetic resonance imaging

Keynote message

We report a rare case of adrenalectomy performed via a retroperitoneal approach for Cushing’s syndrome in a pregnant woman. Cushing’s syndrome may affect the fetus, and surgery can be considered in addition to medical management. Adrenalectomy should be performed in the second trimester of pregnancy. Pneumoperitoneal pressure, position, and surgical approaches must receive careful attention.

Introduction

CS is characterized by excessive cortisol secretion and characteristic symptoms such as full moon-like facial features and central obesity. Premenopausal women with CS rarely become pregnant because excessive glucocorticoid secretion inhibits the synthesis of gonadotropins, leading to impaired ovarian and endometrial function, and causing amenorrhea or oligomenorrhea.1 Furthermore, even when women with CS become pregnant, the incidence of severe complications is high. CS can cause maternal hypertension, diabetes/glucose intolerance, osteopenia/osteoporosis, preeclampsia, pulmonary edema, heart failure, opportunistic infections, and even death. Additionally, CS can potentially cause stillbirth, prematurity, and intrauterine fetal growth restriction.1–6 Therefore, CS must be detected at an early stage in pregnancy; however, CS may go undetected because of the overlapping signs of preeclampsia and/or gestational diabetes.

A cortisol-secreting adrenal tumor is the underlying cause of CS, and laparoscopic adrenalectomy is the standard treatment to it. Medical treatment of CS can include medications that inhibit 11β-hydroxylase, such as metyrapone and osilodrostat, but surgical treatment is considered if the disease is difficult to control with medical treatment. Nonobstetric surgery during pregnancy is performed in 1%–2% of pregnant women.7 Although general anesthesia is relatively safe during pregnancy, the indication for the surgery must be carefully considered because of potential risks such as neurodevelopmental delay, sudden death, etc.

Herein, we present a case of a pregnant woman diagnosed with CS who underwent unilateral laparoscopic adrenalectomy by a retroperitoneal approach without any problems.

Case presentation

The patient was a 28-year-old primiparous woman. Since around 12 weeks of pregnancy, she has experienced facial and lower limb edema; gained 6-kg weight in 1 month; increased facial acne; and experienced subcutaneous bleeding on the forearms, red abdominal dermatitis, proximal muscle weakness, palpitations, insomnia, and decreased vision in eyes. Her symptoms gradually worsened from 14 weeks, and she was referred to our hospital to clarify the cause at 18 weeks of pregnancy.

Adrenal CS was suspected on the basis of her Cushing’s signs, cortisol 25 μg/dL, and adrenocorticotropic hormone <1.5 pg/mL. She had hypokalemia, hypogammaglobulinemia, and liver dysfunction, and her condition was rapidly worsening. Given her pregnant state, she was admitted for intensive testing for the case of CS from 19 weeks of pregnancy. MRI revealed a well-defined 38-mm left adrenal tumor, which was the cause of the adrenal CS (Fig. 1). She was started on metyrapone with 250 mg per day, which increased androgens (0.53–0.69 ng/mL in 1 week). We considered that the management of CS by medication alone would be challenging and performed adrenalectomy during her pregnancy. The dose of metyrapone was increased to 1000 mg per day eventually.

Details are in the caption following the image

Magnetic resonance imaging on admission shows a left adrenal tumor with a long axis of 38 mm (arrowhead). Signal reduction was partially observed on opposed-phase images, leading to diagnosis of cortical adenoma.

She was admitted to the hospital at 23 weeks and 2 days of gestation, and laparoscopic left adrenalectomy was performed via a retroperitoneal approach in the right lateral and jackknife position on the following day (Fig. S1). During the surgery, blood pressure was carefully controlled by an anesthesiologist and the patient’s position and fetal heart rate were monitored by an obstetrician. The operation time, insufflation time, and general anesthesia time were 68, 59, and 123 min, respectively, and the blood loss volume was 75 mL, without any complications. Pathological findings revealed an adrenocortical adenoma. The specimen was positive for one of the nine Weiss criteria (Fig. 2).

Details are in the caption following the image

(a) Intraoperative findings of the retroperitoneal approach. Arrowheads indicate the tumor. (b) Gross appearance of the resected adrenal tumor; a brownish-toned, substantial mass, 60 × 34 × 15 mm in size. (c, d) Hematoxylin–eosin staining showed that nodular lesion with a fibrous capsule, with foci of homogeneous cells with eosinophilic or pale, foamy sporangia and small round nuclei.

Postoperatively, metyrapone was discontinued and both lower leg edema, facial acne, fatigue, and muscle weakness improved. Metyrapone was discontinued after surgery. Hydrocortisone, which had been administered at 150 mg/day during the perioperative period, was reduced every few weeks and was taken at 30 mg/day at delivery. She delivered by cesarean section at 38 weeks and 2 days of gestation, with good outcomes for the mother and her infant. Hydrocortisone was discontinued 15 weeks after delivery.

We showed the changes in cortisol and ACTH from the first visit to postpartum (Fig. 3).

Details are in the caption following the image

The transition of Cortisol and ACTH. Cortisol decreases rapidly after surgery and rises again before delivery. As cortisol improved, ACTH also increased.

Discussion

CS seldom occurs during pregnancy. Symptoms such as weight gain, skin striae, fatigue, and a round face can also occur in normal pregnancies. The dexamethasone suppression test can result in false positives because of ACTH produced by placenta in normal pregnancy. During pregnancy, there is a physiological state of high cortisol levels. The disappearance of diurnal rhythm is a useful indicator for diagnosis of CS in pregnancy because circadian rhythm is maintained in normal pregnancy. Useful diagnostic criteria include urine cortisol levels greater than three times the upper limit of normal, loss of diurnal cortisol rhythm, and presence of adrenal tumors on MRI.

The pharmacologic treatment of endogenous cortisol is complex, and hormonal management is challenging. While the management of the cortisol levels is important, metyrapone is a risk factor for gestational hypertension and may inhibit fetal cortisol production by crossing the placenta.1–6, 8–12

In this case, because androgens were also elevated and drug management was expected to be challenging, the surgery was aggressively considered. Despite the reports of successful adrenalectomy is after 28 weeks of gestation,6, 13, 14 The surgery should be performed by an experienced team between 14 and 30 weeks of pregnancy, that is, after organogenesis phase and before the fetus grows too large.1, 13, 15

A few pregnant women with adrenal CS undergo adrenalectomy. However, the laparoscopic approach is safe, and maternal and fetal complications were higher in women who did not undergo surgery.16 Less postoperative pain, faster wound healing, and faster postoperative recovery are the main advantages of laparoscopic surgery.17

In pregnant women, pneumoperitoneal pressure should be kept <12 mmHg because increased intraabdominal pressure decreases placental blood flow and can cause fetal acidosis due to the absorption of carbon dioxide used for insufflation.

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy can be safely performed through both transperitoneal and retroperitoneal approaches.18 However, in pregnant women, performing the surgery by the retroperitoneal approach in the lateral position is preferable to prevent putting pressure on the fetus during the surgery. The retroperitoneal approach is advantageous, as less pressure is placed on the uterus and adhesions are prevented. After taking the lateral position, the obstetrician is advised to check the position and confirm that the abdomen is not compressed and that the fetal heart rate is normal.

Conclusions

We present a case of a pregnant woman diagnosed with adrenal CS who underwent a unilateral laparoscopic adrenalectomy by a retroperitoneal approach without any problems. Adrenalectomy is a useful treatment when CS is difficult to control despite metyrapone and other medical support.

Author contributions

Nobuyoshi Takeuchi: Conceptualization; methodology; project administration; writing – original draft. Yusuke Imamura: Conceptualization; methodology; supervision; writing – review and editing. Kazuki Ishiwata: Data curation; supervision. Manato Kanesaka: Data curation; supervision. Yusuke Goto: Data curation; supervision. Tomokazu Sazuka: Data curation; supervision. Sawako Suzuki: Data curation; supervision. Hisashi Koide: Data curation; supervision. Shinichi Sakamoto: Data curation; supervision. Tomohiko Ichikawa: Data curation; supervision.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Approval of the research protocol by an Institutional Reviewer Board

Not applicable.

Informed consent

Informed consent for the release of the case report and accompanying images has been obtained from the patient.

Registry and the Registration No. of the study/trial

Not applicable.

From https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/iju5.12637

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