[Primary hyperaldosteronism due to bilateral adrenal hyperplasia of the adrenals. Study based upon one case and a review of the literature (author's transl)]

Abstract

The authors report the case of a 41-year-old man suffering from primary hyperaldosteronism due to bilateral adrenal hyperplasia, predominantly on the left. This condition is somewhat less common than Conn's adenoma and differs distinctly on the basis of a very poor response to surgical treatment. It can generally be diagnosed by non-invasive techniques, the most reliable of which are the postural test and adrenal isotope scan under inhibition with dexamethasone. These methods are nevertheless not always valuable in the presence of certain forms of hyperplasia which are less distinct from an anatomical standpoint, and must then be complemented by adrenal phlebography and estimation of aldosterone in adrenal venous blood or, if this proves impossible, in the inferior vena cava and renal veins.