Influence of autonomous cortisol secretion in patients with primary aldosteronism: subtype analysis and postoperative outcome

CONTEXT: Autonomous cortisol secretion (ACS) has a relatively high prevalence in patients with primary aldosteronism (PA). There is still a lack of relevant studies to analyze the influence of ACS on diagnosing and managing PA. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of ACS on image–adrenal venous sampling (AVS) correlation and the postoperative results. METHODS: This was a retrospective study using the Taiwan Primary Aldosteronism Investigation database from July 2017 to April 2020, with 327 PA patients enrolled. A total of 246 patients were included in the image–AVS analysis. Patients who had undergone unilateral adrenalectomy and a 12-month follow-up were included in the postoperative analysis. RESULTS: Sixty-five patients (26.4%) had ACS. The image–AVS discordance rate was higher in the ACS group compared to the non-ACS group (75.4% (n = 49) vs 56.4% (n = 102); odds ratio (OR) = 2.37 (CI: 1.26–4.48); P = 0.007). The complete biochemical success rate was higher in the non-ACS group than that in the ACS group (98.1% (n = 51) vs 64.3% (n = 9); OR = 28.333 (CI: 2.954–271.779); P = 0.001). In logistic regression analysis, ACS was the only factor associated with lower biochemical success (OR = 0.035 (CI: 0.004–0.339), P = 0.004). CONCLUSION: PA patients with ACS have higher image–AVS discordance rate and worse biochemical outcomes after surgery. ACS was the only negative predictor of postoperative biochemical outcomes. Further studies and novel biomarkers for AVS are crucial for obtaining better postoperative outcomes in PA patients with ACS.