A cautionary case: Adrenal insufficiency after unilateral adrenalectomy for adrenocortical carcinoma

Abstract

Subclinical Cushing’s syndrome among patients with incidentally discovered adrenal masses has been well documented in the literature. This population does not exhibit the classic signs of Cushing’s syndrome, but nonetheless present with postoperative adrenal insufficiency after unilateral adrenalectomy of nonfunctioning incidentalomas. Further, the results of extensive preoperative testing do not correlate with postoperative hypoadrenalism with adequate sensitivity. The patient is an 84-year-old male, who presented with vague complaints of abdominal pain and fatigue, with computed tomography (CT) scan demonstrating an enlarging left adrenal gland up to 5.5 cm. The patient had no evidence of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysfunction based on history, physical examination and preoperative testing. Thus, the lesion was presumed nonfunctional and was excised laparoscopically. Pathology demonstrated an unfortunate diagnosis of adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC). On postoperative day 1, the patient exhibited hypotension and hypoglycemia, with a cortisol level of 0.3 mg/dl. The patient responded to hydrocortisone, supporting the presumed diagnosis of hypoadrenalism. ACC is a rare and aggressive tumor, with only 300 documented cases per year in the United States. Thus, there is a paucity of data related to pre- and postoperative management. Since a third of the patients present with nonfunctioning tumors, postsurgical care are based on literature from nonfunctional incidentalomas until further research establishes guidelines. Our experience with acute hypoadrenalism after unilateral adrenalectomy in the setting of ACC suggests the need for routine postoperative testing of cortisol levels.