Long-term results of adrenalectomy in patients with aldosterone-producing adenomas: multivariate analysis of factors affecting unresolved hypertension and review of the literature

The long-term surgical cure rate of patients with primary aldosteronism varies widely, and causes of persistent hypertension are not completely established. We reviewed retrospectively charts from 98 patients (range, 19-70 years old) with aldosterone-producing adenomas who underwent unilateral adrenalectomy. At a median follow-up of 81 months (range, 18-186 months), the mean blood pressure values improved in 95 out of 98 (96.9%) patients, although hypertension was cured only in 71 out of 98 (72.4%) patients. Multivariate analysis using a logistic regression model adjusted for duration of follow-up showed that only age of the patients and duration of the disease independently correlated with unresolved hypertension. The cumulative odds ratio (OR), obtained using the logistic regression function, was 5.38 (95% CI 1.78-16.22), and the OR of single variables were 1.32 (95% CI 0.36-19.83) and 4.56 (95% CI 1.41-14.78), respectively. By using discriminant analysis to derive a classification function for the prediction of unresolved hypertension, a maximum predictive power of 75 per cent was achieved. In conclusion, in patients with an aldosterone-producing adenoma undergoing surgery, the combination of age and duration of hypertension gave the best predictive power of a linear classification function and represented the main independent risk factors affecting hypertension cure rate.