ANGIOTENSIN‐RESPONSIVEALDOSTERONE‐PRODUCING ADENOMAS: POSTOPERATIVE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALDOSTERONE RESPONSE TO ANGIOTENSIN

Abstract
SUMMARY: 1. Nineteen out of 47 patients (40%) with confirmed unilateral aldosterone‐producing adenoma (APA) were responsive to low‐dose angiotensin II infusion (AH‐R), as defined by an increase in plasma aldosterone concentration of >50% over basal at 2 ng/kg per min for 60 min.2. Seven to ten days after unilateral adrenalectomy, aldosterone was no longer responsive to angiotensin infusion in AII‐R APA (100%, n = 17). Therefore, angiotensin responsiveness resides within the adenoma in AII‐R APA.3. The upright posture test for the differentiation of adenoma from hyperplasia was unreliable for the AII‐R APA (26%), but generally reliable in the angiotensin‐unresponsive subtype, (AH‐U APA, 96%).4. The reported predominance of females in APA was seen in AII‐U APA (68%), but was reversed in AII‐R APA (37%).