Adrenal Vein Sampling in the Management of Primary Aldosteronism: The Added Value of Intraprocedural Cortisol Assessment

Table 1

Characteristics of patients submitted to adrenal vein sampling.

	Preintraprocedural cortisol measurement (n = 19) 2016–September 2021	Postintraprocedural cortisol measurement (n = 24) October 2021–December 2022	value	Total (n = 43)
Age (years)			0.45
Mean (SD)	56.4 (±8.2)	54.3 (±9.4)		55.2 (±8.9)
Minimum	40	32		32
Maximum	73	73		73
Gender			0.60
Female, n (%)	11 (57.9%)	12 (42.1%)		23 (53.5%)
Age at hypertension diagnosis			0.59
Mean (SD)	41.2 (±10.6)	43.1 (±12.3)		42.3 (±11.5)
Minimum	21	34		15
Maximum	60	52		67
Age at PA diagnosis			0.48
Mean (SD)	53. (±9.6)	51.2 (±9.5)		52.1 (±9.5)
Minimum	34	49		31
Maximum	72	70		72
The interval between hypertension and PA diagnosis (years)			0.20
Mean	12.1 (±10.6)	8.0 (±9.1)		9.8 (±9.9)
Minimum	2	0		0
Maximum	41	25		41
Number of antihypertensive medication			0.06
Mean (SD)	3.2 (±0.98)	2.5 (±1.2)		2.8 (±1.1)
Minimum	1	1		1
Maximum	4	5		5
Complications	7 (36.8%)	4 (16.7%)	0.13	11 (25.6%)
Retinopathy	1 (5.3%)	1 (4.2%)	0.87	2 (4.7%)
Cardiopathy	5 (26.3%)	3 (12.5%)	0.13	8 (18.6%)
Nephropathy	0 (0%)	2 (8.3%)	0.20	2 (4.7%)
Cerebrovascular	3 (15.8%)	1 (4.2%)	0.19	4 (9.3%)
Encephalopathy	0 (0%)	1 (4.2%)	0.37	1 (2.3%)
Hypokalemia	13 (68.4%)	14 (58.3%)	0.50	27 (62.8%)
Mean serum K^+ (mmoL/L) (SD)	3.0 (±0.4)	3.0 (±0.2)		3 (±0.34)
Imaging (CT)			0.95
Normal adrenals	3 (15.8%)	3 (8.3%)		6 (14%)
Right-sided unilateral nodes	7 (36.8%)	9 (37.5%)		16 (37.2%)
Left-sided unilateral nodes	5 (26.3%)	8 (33.3%)		13 (30.2%)
Bilateral nodes	3 (15.8%)	2 (8.3%)		5 (11.6%)
Right adrenal hyperplasia	1 (5.3%)	0		1 (2.3%)
Left adrenal hyperplasia	0	2 (8.3%)		2 (4.8%)

SD, standard deviation.