Clinical Features and Etiology of Recurrent Hypertension after Adrenalectomy

Abstract

Patients who undergo adrenalectomy for unilateral primary aldosteronism (PA) may still develop post-surgery hypertension; however, the clinical characteristics and etiology of patients developing recurrent hypertension after adrenalectomy are unclear. We analyzed the records of 43 patients with recurrent elevated blood pressure after adrenalectomy, who were treated at our center. Standard routine clinical screening workup was used to identify the cause of recurrent hypertension. Causes of recurrent hypertension after adrenalectomy included essential hypertension, primary aldosteronism, obstructive sleep apnea, renal artery stenosis, and Takayasu arteritis. Before adrenalectomy, 39.5% of patients were diagnosed with confirmed or suspected PA, primarily through CT imaging. Adrenal venous sampling (AVS) tests were not conducted on any patients, and 72.1% patients underwent partial adrenalectomy. Among all patients, elevated blood pressure was observed in 44.2% immediately post-operation, 18.6% within 1 month, 16.3% in 1–6 months, and 20.9% >6 months after operation. Most patients had hypertension of grade 2 and above. Standard endocrine functional assessment and AVS tests should be performed before adrenalectomy to ensure more accurate diagnosis and favorable post-operative outcomes. Additionally, individuals often develop essential hypertension regardless of past adrenal disease.