[Surgical management of primary aldosteronism--progress in localization studies and operative treatment]

Primary aldosteronism due to an adrenocortical adenoma is commonly known as surgically correctable hypertension. Forty-three cases of primary aldosteronism were treated operatively at our Department between 1960 and 1985. Forty of them were operatively, found to have aldosteronoma with a mean size of 1.88 cm and weight of 2.67 g. The patients average age was 39.4 years old and the male to female ratio was 1 to 3. Adrenal phlebography, selective adrenal venous sampling, adrenal scintigraphy, CT and echography were used to preoperatively locate the tumor, and their diagnostic value was 83, 78, 76, 87 and 60%, respectively. Unilateral adrenalectomy or unilateral partial adrenalectomy was performed extraperitoneally with lumbar oblique incision in 32 of the 43 operated patients. Since the application of the preoperative diagnosing studies above mentioned, tumor localization has been clearly demonstrated in about 90% of the patients and the unilateral extraperitoneal approach is proved as a safe operative method with minimal blood loss of less than 200 ml and performed within two hours. Unilateral adrenalectomy by the flank approach has now become the operation of choice for the treatment of an aldosterone-producing adrenal adenoma.