The surgical treatment of adrenal diseases

Between January 1978 to December 1993, 130 cases of adrenal diseases were diagnosed and surgically treated at the National University of Malaysia. They were 58 cases (44.6%) of Conn's syndrome, 40 cases (30.7%) of Cushing's syndrome, 20 cases (15.3%) of phaeochromocytoma and 12 cases (9.2%) of adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC). The commonest cause of Conn's syndrome was an adenoma (96.5%) which affected the left gland four times more than the right gland. Cushing's syndrome was caused by adrenocortical adenoma (32.5%), diffuse bilateral adrenal hyperplasia (40.0%), pigmented macronodular hyperplasia (20.0%) and adrenal carcinoma (7.5%). Twenty-five percent of the phaeochromocytomas were extraadrenal in origin arising mainly from the abdominal sympathetic chain. More than 50% of ACCs were non-functioning tumours. Fifty percent of the patients with ACC had inoperable tumours. The prognosis was poor even with adjuvant chemoradiotherapy. The main surgical approach was the anterior transabdominal route. There was no operative mortality or morbidity in all operated cases.