REMISSION IN CUSHING'S SYNDROME AFTER BILATERAL HEMIADRENALECTOMY*

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Abstract
A well-documented case of Cushing"s syndrome developing in an 11-yr.-old girl who was observed from 13 years to her present age of 19 is presented. At the age of 13 the patient received X-ray therapy to the pituitary gland which was followed by remission. At the age of 17 a bilateral hemiadrenalectomy was done followed by a complete remission until the age of 19. The adrenal glands at the time of surgery did not appear to be hypertrophied or hyperplastic and were normal on routine histological examination. Despite the gross and microscopic appearance of the two adrenals, the presence of abnormal function was manifested by the marked clinical improvement that was noted after the subtotal resection of 50% of the left and 60% of the right adrenal. Within two months" time after surgery a marked degree of remission occurred. Growth which had ceased abruptly with the onset of Cushing"s Syndrome was resumed after the bilateral subtotal adrenalectomy. There was a marked decrease in the 17-ketosteroid excretion following surgery, but this has since returned to normal 2 years after surgery. The 11-oxysteroids which were elevated prior to surgery have since been normal.