Lateralization procedures in primary aldosteronism.

The diagnostic validity of adrenal isotopic scanning, adrenal venous aldosterone, adrenal phlebography and computed abdominal tomography (CT) was studied in 44 patients with primary aldosteronism. In all patients the diagnosis was confirmed by surgery (unilateral adrenal adenoma n = 32, bilateral adrenal hyperplasia n = 12). Both adrenal scintiscan, adrenal venous aldosterone and CT allowed in a comparable high percentage of patients (71%0 the exact classification of the adrenal lesion(s), whereas adrenal phlebography could distinguish adenoma from hyperplasia in 57%. Marked differences between the lateralization procedures, however, were observed in predicting incorrect preoperative indentification: adrenal scintiscan 29%, adrenal venous aldosterone 3%, adrenal veno-graphy 6% and CT 0%. Finally, the percentage of patients in whom no differentiation between the two main subgroups of primary aldosteronism could be obtain varied between 0% with adrenal isotopic scanning and 37% with adrenal phlebography (CT 29% and adrenal venous aldosterone 26%). Both scintiscan and adrenal venous aldosterone were not improved by the administration of dexamethasone. Our findings document that adrenal venous aldosterone determinations, adrenal isotopic scanning and computed tomography are equally valid in differentiating unilateral adenoma from bilateral adrenal hyperplasia in primary aldosteronism. However, adrenal scintiscan is hampered by a relative high percentage of incorrect results independant whether dexamethasone was used or not. Contrary, adrenal venous aldosterone and computed tomography seemed to have no or only a minor risk in assuming an incorrect classification of the adrenal lesion(s).