Primary aldosteronism due to bilateral micronodular hyperplasia and concomitant subclinical Cushing’s syndrome:A case report

BACKGROUND Adrenal incidentaloma(AI)has been frequently encountered in the clinical setting.It has been shown that primary aldosteronism(PA)or subclinical Cushing’s syndrome(SCS)are the representative causative diseases of AI.However,the coexistence of PA and SCS has been reportedly observed.Recently,we encountered a case of AI,in which PA and SCS coexisted,confirmed by histopathological examinations after a laparoscopic adrenalectomy.We believe that there were some clinical implications in the diagnosis of the present case.CASE SUMMARY A 58-year-old man presented with lower right abdominal pain with a blood pressure of 170/100 mmHg.A subsequent computed tomography scan revealed right ureterolithiasis,which was the cause of right abdominal pain,and right AI measuring 22 mm×25 mm.After the disappearance of right abdominal pain,subsequent endocrinological examinations were performed.Aldosterone-related evaluations,including adrenal venous sampling,revealed the presence of bilateral PA.In addition,several cortisol-related evaluations showed the presence of SCS on the right adrenal adenoma.A laparoscopic right adrenalectomy was then performed.The histopathological examination of the resected right adrenal revealed the presence of a cortisol-producing adenoma,while CYP11B2 immunoreactivity was absent in this adenoma.However,in the adjacent nonneoplastic adrenal,multiple CYP11B2-positive adrenocortical micronodules were detected,showing the presence of aldosterone-producing adrenocortical micronodules.CONCLUSION Careful clinical and pathological examination should be performed when a patient harboring AI presents with concomitant SCS and PA.

Primary malignant pericardial mesothelioma with difficult antemortem diagnosis:A case report

BACKGROUND Primary malignant pericardial mesothelioma(PMPM)is an extremely rare malignant tumor,and it is difficult to diagnose definitively before death.We present a case in which PMPM was diagnosed at autopsy.We consider this case to be highly suggestive and report it here.CASE SUMMARY A 78-year-old male presented with transient loss of consciousness and falls.The transient loss of consciousness was considered to result from complications of diastolic dysfunction due to pericardial disease,fever with dehydration,and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.Ultrasound cardiography(UCG)and computed tomography showed cardiac enlargement and high-density pericardial effusion.We considered pericardial disease to be the main pathogenesis of this case.Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and gadolinium contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images showed thick staining inside and outside the pericardium.Pericardial biopsy was considered to establish a definitive diagnosis,but the patient and his family refused further treatment and examinations,and the patient was followed conservatively.We noticed a thickening of the pericardium and massive changes in the pericardium on UCG over time.We performed an autopsy 60 h after the patient died of pneumonia.Giemsa staining of the autopsy tissue showed an epithelial-like arrangement in the pericardial tumor,and immunostaining showed positive and negative factors for the diagnosis of PMPM.Based on these findings,the final diagnosis of PMPM was made.CONCLUSION PMPM has a poor prognosis,and early diagnosis and treatment are important.The temporal echocardiographic findings may provide a clue for the diagnosis of PMPM.

Clinical significance of prolonged chest pain in vasospastic angina

BACKGROUND Patients with vasospastic angina(VSA)sometimes experience prolonged chest symptoms.The clinical characteristics of these patients have not been clarified.AIM To investigate the clinical characteristics of prolonged VSA patients.METHODS This study included 167 patients with VSA diagnosed by spasm provocation tests(SPTs)using acetylcholine,which recorded the frequencies of positive reactions to a low dose of acetylcholine(L-ACh),total occlusion due to spasm(TOC),focal spasm,and the unavoidable use of nitroglycerin(unavoidable-NTG)during SPTs.The patients underwent a medical interview that investigated the maximum duration and frequency of chest symptoms as well as the frequencies of variant angina and other serious symptoms.The patients were divided into two groups based on the maximal duration:The short-duration group(<15 min;n=114)and the long-duration group(≥15 min;n=53).They were also divided into two groups based on the frequency of chest symptoms:The low-frequency group(<4/mo;n=88)and the high-frequency group(≥4/mo;n=79).RESULTS The long-duration group showed higher frequencies of other serious symptoms(P<0.001)and variant angina(P<0.05)as well as higher frequencies of spasm induction by L-ACh(P<0.05),TOC(P<0.05),focal spasm(P<0.01),and unavoidable-NTG(P<0.01)than the short-duration group.These parameters did not differ significantly between the low-frequency and high-frequency groups.CONCLUSION These findings suggest that patients with VSA who experience prolonged chest symptoms may have more severe characteristics of VSA.