The role of high performance liquid chromatography in the functional state of the adrenal glands before and after surgical treatment for corticosteroma

Objective: It is to evaluate the functional state of the adrenal cortex after surgical treatment in patients with corticosteromas for optimize of tactic of postoperative management.

Materials and methods: We examined 143 patients (43 men and 100 women) aged 51.3 ± 10.1 years with incidentaloma of adrenal glands and 27 healthy peopels (control group) aged 45.5 ± 5.7 years. Cushing's syndrome was detected in 22 patients, autonomous cortisol secretion was detected in 43. All patients had an analysis of the complaints, objective, laboratory and instrumental data in the preoperative and early postoperative periods. Assessment of levels glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid hormones in biological fluids was carried out by immunoassay and high performance liquid chromatography.

Results: The signs of adrenal cortex insufficiency in the early postoperative period were obtained in 77.3% of patients with Cushing's syndrome and in 25% of patients with autonomous cortisol secretion according to immunoassay and high performance liquid chromatography. An increase of level of corticosterone in the serum of blood in the preoperative period indicate the possibility development of adrenal insufficiency in the early postoperative period in all patients. Аn increase of levels of 11-deoxycortisol and 18-OH-corticosteronein in the serum of blood аnd urinary excretion of free cortisone, 18-OH-corticosterone and 6β-hydroxycortisol indicate the possibility development of adrenal insufficiency in the early postoperative period in patients with Cushing's syndrome.

Conclusions: The determination of cortisol and aldosterone precursors by high performance liquid chromatography increases the accuracy of the diagnosis of glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid function of the adrenal cortex in patients with Cushing's syndrome and with autonomous cortisol secretion in the early postoperative period.

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