Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with adrenal tumor and high blood pressure
By Smith, Rebecca R et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2012·Department of Clinical Studies, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Laparoscopic adrenalectomy for management of a functional adrenal tumor in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 9-year-old male domestic shorthair cat was brought in for high blood pressure that didn't improve after treating his hyperthyroidism. Tests showed he had an adrenal tumor causing excessive hormone production, along with issues in his thyroid and parathyroid glands. The vet performed a minimally invasive surgery to remove the affected adrenal gland and also addressed the thyroid and parathyroid problems. After surgery, the cat recovered well, and his blood pressure and calcium levels returned to normal. He lived for nearly four more years without any signs of the original hormone issues returning.
People also search for: cat high blood pressure treatment · adrenal tumor surgery cat · hyperthyroidism in cats · cat adrenalectomy recovery
Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION: A 9-year-old castrated male domestic shorthair cat was examined because of hypertension that persisted after resolution of the patient's hyperthyroidism. Bilateral hypertensive retinopathy, a systolic heart murmur, left ventricular hypertrophy, and tachycardia were present. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Biochemical analysis revealed mild hypokalemia, normonatremia, high serum creatine kinase activity, high serum aldosterone concentration, and low plasma renin activity consistent with hyperaldosteronism. Hypercalcemia with an associated high serum parathyroid hormone concentration and an exaggerated low-dose dexamethasone suppression test result were consistent with concurrent hyperparathyroidism and hyperadrenocorticism, respectively. Ultrasonographic examination revealed a markedly enlarged left adrenal gland, an abnormally small right adrenal gland, and 2 nodules in the right thyroid and parathyroid glands. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: Laparoscopic left adrenalectomy was performed concurrently with right thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy. Histologic evaluation revealed an adrenal cortical adenoma, thyroid adenoma, and parathyroid adenoma. The cat recovered from surgery without complications. The hypercalcemia and hypertension resolved after surgery. Follow-up echocardiography revealed improvement in the left ventricular hypertrophy. Ultrasonographic examinations performed up to 26 months after adrenalectomy showed no evidence of regrowth of the adrenal mass. The patient survived for 44 months after adrenalectomy with no signs of recurrent hyperaldosteronism or hyperadrenocorticism. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Laparoscopic adrenalectomy may be a plausible method for the treatment of unilateral functional adrenal neoplasia in feline patients when diagnostic imaging has ruled out intravascular invasion and metastatic disease. In addition, in a feline patient with hyperthyroidism and hypertension, other endocrine glands should be investigated.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22812475/