Primary aldosteronism(PA) is a common cause of secondary hypertension, with adrenal vein sampling(AVS)being the gold standard for etiological typing diagnosis. This retrospective study analyzed data from patients diagnosed with PA who underwent AVS or unilateral adrenalectomy at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital′s Endocrinology Department from July 2018 to August 2021. Using multivariate logistic regression analysis, factors associated with unilateral aldosterone hypersecretion were identified. Based on these factors, a predictive model for diagnosing unilateral primary aldosteronism(UPA)was established: age <40 years, plasma aldosterone concentration(PAC)>15 ng/dL, adrenal CT indicating an unilateral typical adenoma, and spontaneous hypokalemia. This predictive model could help 14% of PA patients avoid unnecessary AVS procedures.

Objective:To explore the pathological characteristics of adrenal masses based on various tumor diameter and unenhanced computed tomography(CT) attenuation value, and evaluate the value of the two parameters in the assessment of the benign and malignant nature of adrenal masses.Methods:The data of 1 367 patients who underwent adrenalectomy in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from January 2017 to October 2022 were retrospectively collected. The adrenal masses were divided into four groups according to tumor diameter and unenhanced CT attenuation value, and the clinical and histopathological characteristics of the four groups were compared respectively. Logistic regression was used to analyze the correlation between tumor diameter, non-contrast CT attenuation value and malignant adrenal masses, and receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve was used to assess the diagnostic value of both in benign and malignant adrenal masses.Results:The proportion of adrenocortical carcinoma and other malignant tumors increased with the rise of tumor diameter or unenhanced CT attenuation value. After adjusting for age and gender, tumor diameter( OR=1.624, 95% CI 1.464-1.803, P<0.001) and unenhanced CT attenuation value( OR=1.108, 95% CI 1.079-1.138, P<0.001) were predictors of malignant adrenal masses. The tumor diameter and unenhanced CT attenuation value in diagnosing malignant adrenal masses had area under the ROC curve(AUC) of 0.838 and 0.892, respectively. With the optimal cut-off values of >3.4 cm and >30 HU, the sensitivity was 75.5% and 83.7%, and the specificity was 80.5% and 84.4%, respectively. The combination of tumor diameter >3.4 cm and unenhanced CT attenuation value >20 HU had an AUC of 0.927, with a sensitivity of 71.4% and a specificity of 90.1% in diagnosing malignant adrenal masses. Conclusions:Tumor diameter and unenhanced CT attenuation value has important significance in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant adrenal masses. A combination of tumor diameter (>3.4 cm) and unenhanced CT attenuation value (>20 HU) demonstrates best diagnostic efficiency. Clinical application of this combined index can effectively diagnose malignant adrenal masses while avoiding unnecessary investigations or surgery.

Objective:To explore the value of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) stimulation in adrenal vein sampling (AVS) with its effect on the sampling success rate and lateralization determination.Methods:The clinical data of 54 patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) who underwent AVS in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from July 2018 to June 2020 were collected retrospectively. Blood samples from bilateral adrenal veins were collected simultaneously at baseline and after ACTH stimulation. The selectivity index (SI), lateralization index (LI), and relative aldosterone secretion index (RASI) were examined.Results:The concentration of serum cortisol level in left and right adrenal vein and peripheral vein increased significantly after ACTH stimulation ( P<0.001). SI of left adrenal vein increased from 18.00 (2.29, 20.29) to 34.76 (12.10, 46.86) , and the SI of right adrenal vein increased from 26.61(5.24, 31.85) to 28.40 (27.65, 56.05, P<0.001). The bilateral vein sampling success rate increased from 80%(43/54) to 93%(50/54). LI decreased from 2.85(1.78, 6.20) at baseline to 2.45(1.40, 6.10) after ACTH stimulation without significant difference( P>0.05). Eleven patients who identified unilateral secretion at baseline demonstrated bilateral after ACTH stimulation, and the RASI of these patients decreased from 0.50 (0.38, 1.25 ) to 0.37 (0.22, 0.84, P=0.019). Conclusion:ACTH stimulation significantly increased SI and the AVS success rate in patients with PA: ACTH stimulation decreased the relative aldosterone secretion in the dominant side of some patients with aldosterone producing adenoma, thus reduced the proportion of identified unilateral PA.

Objective:To identify the clinical and pathological characteristics of adrenocortical carcinoma(ACC) with hypercortisolism and analyze the prognostic factors.Methods:Clinical data of ACC patients between January 2003 and December 2022 from Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital were collected retrospectively. Clinical and pathological characteristics were compared between ACC patients with hypercortisolism and nonfunctional ACCs. Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analyses and Cox regression models were performed to analyze prognostic factors for ACC patients.Results:In 61 cases of ACC patients, the average age was (49.33±16.32) years. After a median follow-up of 77 months(95% CI 47.49-106.51 months), median overall survival and progression-free survival were 50 months(95% CI 20.44-79.56 months) and 29 months(95% CI 22.87-35.13 months), respectively. Among 36 patients with complete endocrinologic evaluations, 19(52.77%) were diagnosed with hypercortisolism. Compared with nonfunctional ACC, patients with hypercortisolism had more hypokalemia(42.11% vs 6.25%, P=0.022), capsular invasion(68.42% vs 25.00%, P=0.018), and distant metastases(73.68% vs 25.00%, P=0.007). Median overall survival and progression-free survival were significantly shorter than nonfunctional ACC(overall survival: 39 months vs 67 months, P=0.009; progression-free survival: 30 months vs 51 months, P=0.040) as well. Multivariate Cox regression analyses indicated that Ki67 index( HR=1.078, P=0.024) was an independent risk factor for overall survival. Hypercortisolism( HR=71.112, P=0.006), Ki67 index( HR=1.345, P=0.003), adjuvant therapy( HR=176.652, P=0.012), and operation( HR=0.020, P=0.003), were associated with disease progression. Conclusion:ACC accompanied by hypercortisolism is more prone to invasion and distant metastasis, resulting in shorter survival. Hypercortisolism is an independent prognostic factor for ACC patients.