OBJECTIVE: To investigate the coagulation function indicators and identify influence factors of hypercoagulability in patients with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) independent Cushing syndrome (CS). METHODS: In our retrospective study, the electronic medical records system of Peking University First Hospital was searched for the patients diagnosed with ACTH independent CS on discharge from January 2014 to June 2019. Nonfunctional adrenal adenoma patients were chosen as control group and matched 1 ∶1 by body mass index (BMI), gender, and discharge date. Clinical features and coagulation function indicators were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: In the study, 171 patients were included in each group. Compared with control group, activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), and prothrombin time (PT) in ACTH independent CS group were significantly lower [(29.22±3.39) s vs. (31.86±3.63) s, P < 0.001; (29.22±3.39) s vs. (31.86±3.63) s, P < 0.001], and both D-dimer and fibrin degradation products (FDP) levels were significantly higher (P < 0.05). Percentage of APTT levels under the lower limit of reference range in the CS patients was significantly higher than that in nonfunctional group (21.6% vs. 3.5%, P < 0.001). Percentage of D-dimer levels over the upper limit of reference range in the CS patients was significantly higher than that in nonfunctional group (13.5% vs. 6.6%, P=0.041). There were three patients with deep venous thrombosis and one patient with pulmonary embolism in CS group, however none was in control group. The area under curve (AUC) of serum cortisol rhythm (8:00, 16:00 and 24:00) levels was negatively associated with the levels of PT (r=-0.315, P < 0.001) and APTT (r=-0.410, P < 0.001), and positively associated with FDP (r=0.303, P < 0.001) and D-dimer levels (r=0.258, P < 0.001). There were no differences in coagulation function indicators among different histopathologic subgroups (adrenocortical adenoma, adrenocortical hyperplasia, oncocytic adenoma, adrenocortical carcinoma). With Logistic regression analysis, the AUC of cortisol and glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels were independent risk factors for hypercoagulability in the ACTH independent CS patients (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION ACTH independent CS patients were more likely in hypercoagulable state compared with nonfunctional adrenal adenoma, especially in ACTH independent CS patients with higher levels of cortisol AUC and HbA1c. These patients should be paid attention to for the hypercoagulability and thrombosis risk.
Humans ; Cushing Syndrome/complications* ; Adrenocortical Adenoma/complications* ; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone ; Hydrocortisone ; Retrospective Studies ; Glycated Hemoglobin ; Adrenal Cortex Neoplasms/diagnosis* ; Adenoma/diagnosis* ; Thrombophilia/complications*

Esthesioneuroblastoma as a source of ectopic Cushing's syndrome is rare, and to the best of our knowledge, only 20 cases have been reported worldwide. A 46-year-old healthy man visited a local clinic for general weakness and hyposmia, and underwent examination with serial endocrinological workup and brain imaging. ⁶⁸Gallium-DOTA-TOC positron emission tomography scan was helpful where diagnosis of sellar MRI and inferior petrosal sinus sampling were discordant. Combined transcranial and endoscopic endonasal approach surgery was performed, and a diagnosis of esthesioneuroblastoma was given.
Cushing Syndrome ; Diagnosis ; Esthesioneuroblastoma, Olfactory ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Neuroimaging ; Petrosal Sinus Sampling ; Positron-Emission Tomography

STUDY DESIGN: Case report. OBJECTIVES: We report a case of Ogilvie's syndrome following posterior decompression surgery in a spinal stenosis patient who presented with acute abdominal distension, nausea, and vomiting. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: Ogilvie's syndrome is a rare and potentially fatal disease that can easily be mistaken for postoperative ileus, and is also known as acute colonic pseudo-obstruction. Early recognition and diagnosis enable treatment prior to bowel perforation and requisite abdominal surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An 82-year-old woman presented with 6 months of worsening back pain with walking intolerance due to weakness in both legs. She had hypertension, asthma, and Cushing syndrome without bowel or bladder symptoms. Further workup demonstrated the presence of central spinal stenosis on magnetic resonance imaging. The patient underwent an L2-3 laminectomy and posterior decompression. Surgery was uneventful. RESULTS: The patient presented with acute abdominal distension, nausea, and vomiting on postoperative day 1. The patient was initially diagnosed with adynamic ileus and treated conservatively with bowel rest, reduction in narcotic dosage, and a regimen of stool softeners, laxatives, and enemas. Despite this treatment, her clinical course failed to improve, and she demonstrated significant colonic distension radiographically. Intravenous neostigmine was administered as a bolus with a rapid and dramatic response. CONCLUSION: Ogilvie's syndrome should be included in the differential diagnosis of postoperative ileus in patients developing prolonged unexplained abdominal distension and pain after lumbar spinal surgery. Early diagnosis and initiation of conservative management can prevent major morbidity and mortality due to bowel ischemia and perforation.
Aged, 80 and over ; Asthma ; Back Pain ; Colon ; Colonic Pseudo-Obstruction ; Cushing Syndrome ; Decompression ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Early Diagnosis ; Enema ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Ileus ; Ischemia ; Laminectomy ; Laxatives ; Leg ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mortality ; Nausea ; Neostigmine ; Spinal Stenosis ; Urinary Bladder ; Vomiting ; Walking

Cushing's syndrome, a potentially lethal disorder characterized by endogenous hypercortisolism, may be difficult to recognize, especially when it is mild and the presenting features are common in the general population. However, there is a need to identify the condition at an early stage, as it tends to progress, accruing additional morbidity and increasing mortality rates. Once a clinical suspicion is raised, screening tests involve timed measurement of urine, serum or salivary cortisol at baseline or after administration of dexamethasone, 1 mg. Each test has caveats, so that the choice of tests must be individualized for each patient. Once the diagnosis is established, and the cause is determined, surgical resection of abnormal tumor/tissue is the optimal treatment. When this cannot be achieved, medical treatment (or bilateral adrenalectomy) must be used to normalize cortisol production. Recent updates in screening for and treating Cushing's syndrome are reviewed here.
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone ; Cushing Syndrome* ; Dexamethasone ; Diagnosis* ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Mass Screening ; Mortality

PURPOSE: To examine and compare the perioperative outcomes of laparoscopic adrenalectomy (LA) and to determine its efficacy in patients with nonfunctioning adrenal adenomas (NFA) and subclinical Cushing syndrome (SCS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data obtained from 79 consecutive patients who underwent LA for the treatment of either NFA (n=35) or SCS (n=44) between 2011 and 2016. All patients had undergone computed tomography, as well as endocrinological tests to confirm the diagnosis prior to the adrenalectomy. The primary endpoint was improved metabolic parameters relating to diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and obesity. RESULTS: Patients with SCS compared to those with NFA showed a higher occurrence of diabetes (29.5% vs. 11.4%), hypertension (59.1% vs. 34.3%), and dyslipidemia (43.2% vs. 14.3%). Patients with SCS showed a smaller median tumor size compared to those with NFA (2.5 cm vs. 5 cm). No significant perioperative complications ≥ Clavien-Dindo classification grade III were observed in any patient (SCS or NFA group). In terms of their metabolic profile, patients with SCS showed a significant postoperative improvement in hypertension (50.0%), diabetes (53.9%), dyslipidemia (31.6%), and obesity (29.2%). However, patients with NFA showed a postoperative improvement only in dyslipidemia (40.0%) and obesity (4.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Owing to absence of significant perioperative complications and the marked postoperative improvement in metabolic impairment, LA is a useful treatment strategy in patients diagnosed with SCS. In contrast, LA was not observed to show beneficial effects in correcting/improving the metabolic profile in patients presenting with NFA.
Adenoma* ; Adrenalectomy* ; Classification ; Cushing Syndrome* ; Diagnosis ; Dyslipidemias ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Metabolome ; Obesity ; Retrospective Studies

No abstract available.
ACTH-Secreting Pituitary Adenoma/complications/diagnostic imaging/surgery ; Adenoma/complications/diagnostic imaging/surgery ; Adolescent ; Biomarkers/urine ; Biopsy ; *Circadian Rhythm ; Creatinine/*urine ; Cushing Syndrome/*diagnosis/*urine ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone/*urine ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome ; Urinalysis

Cushing's disease (CD) is a relatively rare disease,characterized by pathological hypercortisolism secondary to excessive adrenocorticotrophic hormone that is secreted by pituitary adrenocorticotrophic hormone adenoma or hyperplasia. In addition to the typical clinical symptoms such as moon face,buffalo hump,and central obesity,the CD patients may also experience mental disorders and cognitive dysfunction. This review mainly focuses on the cognitive state of CD patients,the mechanisms of cognitive impairment caused by high cortisol levels,and the imaging findings (especially magnetic resonance imaging) for the evaluation of cognitive functions.
Adenoma ; complications ; Cognition ; Cognitive Dysfunction ; complications ; diagnosis ; Cushing Syndrome ; complications ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Pituitary ACTH Hypersecretion ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; complications

Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease for which glucocorticoids are the mainstay of treatment. Cushing's syndrome is caused by glucocorticoid excess, which can be either exogenous or endogenous. Although iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome is the most common form, especially in patients undergoing glucocorticoid treatment, endogenous glucocorticoid excess should be considered because it has a different treatment strategy. We describe a 51-year old woman with a longstanding history of SLE. She was treated with steroid and cytoxan pulse therapy and plasmapheresis. Her lupus activity had been stable for 7 years with low-dose glucocorticoid treatment. She showed excessive weight gain, easy bruising, moon facies, truncal obesity, acne, and menstrual disorder. Given her history of long-term steroid therapy, iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome was considered the most likely diagnosis; however, worsening features of Cushing's syndrome with a minimal dose of glucocorticoid led us to diagnose endogenous Cushing's syndrome due to a left adrenal adenoma. The patient underwent laparoscopic left adrenalectomy. Her SLE was controlled with transient low-dose glucocorticoid treatment, and her lupus activity remained stable without glucocorticoid treatment. This is the first reported case of concomitant endogenous Cushing's syndrome in a patient with preexisting SLE in Korea. This case shows the importance of differential diagnosis including exogenous Cushing's syndrome and endogenous Cushing's syndrome in autoimmune disease patients with glucocorticoid therapy.
Acne Vulgaris ; Adenoma ; Adrenalectomy ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Cushing Syndrome ; Cyclophosphamide ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Facies ; Female ; Glucocorticoids ; Humans ; Korea ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Moon ; Obesity ; Plasmapheresis ; Weight Gain

A 31-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with symptoms of hypertension and bilateral adrenocortical masses with no feature of Cushing syndrome. The serum aldosterone/renin ratio was elevated and the saline loading test showed no suppression of the plasma aldosterone level, consistent with a diagnosis of primary hyperaldosteronism. Overnight and low-dose dexamethasone suppression tests showed no suppression of serum cortisol, indicating a secondary diagnosis of subclinical Cushing syndrome. Adrenal vein sampling during the low-dose dexamethasone suppression test demonstrated excess secretion of cortisol from the left adrenal mass. A partial right adrenalectomy was performed, resulting in normalization of blood pressure, hypokalemia, and high aldosterone level, implying that the right adrenal mass was the main cause of the hyperaldosteronism. A total adrenalectomy for the left adrenal mass was later performed, resulting in a normalization of cortisol level. The final diagnosis was bilateral adrenocortical adenomas, which were secreting aldosterone and cortisol independently. This case is the first report of a concurrent cortisol-producing left adrenal adenoma and an aldosterone-producing right adrenal adenoma in Korea, as demonstrated by adrenal vein sampling and sequential removal of adrenal masses.
Adenoma ; Adrenalectomy ; Adrenocortical Adenoma ; Adult ; Aldosterone* ; Blood Pressure ; Cushing Syndrome ; Dexamethasone ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone* ; Hyperaldosteronism ; Hypertension ; Hypokalemia ; Korea ; Plasma ; Veins

Anticonvulsants ; adverse effects ; Cushing Syndrome ; blood ; diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Schizophrenia ; blood ; Young Adult