Determination of adrenal hypersecretion in primary Aldosteronism without aldosterone-production adenomas

BACKGROUND: Primary aldosteronism (PA) is highly prevalent in hypertensive population. Adrenal vein sampling (AVS) is the only procedure to assess adrenal aldosterone hypersecretion in PA. PA patients without aldosterone-producing adenomas (APA) frequently have unilateral aldosterone hypersecretion (UAH). These patients could bear inappropriate adrenalectomy without AVS. This study aims to identify which clinical characteristics should be recommended to perform AVS in these PA patients. METHODS: This study was performed from January 2018 to July 2019 at a center for hypertension and metabolic diseases. Adrenal computed tomography (CT) scan, biochemical evaluation, and AVS were performed. RESULTS: Total 141 patients were included in this study. Aldosterone to renin ratio (ARR) after confirmatory test is highly associated with adrenal laterality. The specificity of ARR > 10 (ng/dL)/(mU/L) after confirmatory test is 100%. After confirmatory test, patients with ARR > 10 (ng/dL)/(mU/L) had higher plasma aldosterone concentration and incidences of ischemic heart diseases and renal damage(p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: After confirmatory tests, ARR > 10 (ng/dL)/(mU/L) indicates adrenal laterality, with increasingly cardiorenal damage in PA patients without APA. Thus, AVS should be recommended in these patients before surgery. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03398785, Date of Registration: December 24, 2017. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12902-021-00770-1.