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Updated: Jun 24, 2026
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A Novel Method: Super-selective Adrenal Venous Sampling
Published on: September 15, 2017
[Primary hyperaldosteronisms: from diagnosis to treatment]
Jean-Louis Wémeau1, Claire Mounier-Vehier, Bruno Carnaille
1Service d'endocrinologie et maladies métaboliques, Clinique endocrinologique Marc Linquette, CHU de Lille, F-59037 Lille Cedex, France. jl-wemeau@chru-lille.fr
Presse Medicale (Paris, France : 1983)
|March 21, 2009
Summary
Primary hyperaldosteronism, a key cause of hypertension, can be diagnosed even without high blood pressure or low potassium. Aldosterone levels, when interpreted with renin, aid in identifying this condition.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Hypertension Research
Context:
- Primary hyperaldosteronism is an increasingly recognized cause of hypertension, affecting up to 15% of patients.
- Diagnosis is possible even in patients without overt hypertension or hypokalemia.
- Paradoxical findings, such as normal aldosterone with low renin, suggest the condition.
Purpose:
- To highlight the evolving diagnostic criteria for primary hyperaldosteronism.
- To emphasize the utility of aldosterone-to-renin ratio in diagnosis.
- To outline the role of imaging and functional tests in surgical decision-making.
Summary:
- Elevated aldosterone/renin or aldosterone/plasma renin activity ratios strongly support the diagnosis.
- Adrenal imaging (e.g., fine-slice scanography) is indicated when surgery is considered.
- Functional tests, including adrenal iodocholesterol uptake or adrenal venous sampling, are used to confirm lateralization before surgery.
Impact:
- Surgical intervention is highly effective for unilateral or predominantly unilateral hyperaldosteronism.
- Surgery offers significant benefits for patients with poorly controlled hypertension or hypokalemia.
- Surgical treatment is particularly valuable for men experiencing medication intolerance.
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