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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 Dec 1.
Published in final edited form as: Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2018 Jul 23;89(6):721–733. doi: 10.1111/cen.13803

Table 2.

Postoperative adrenal insufficiency and follow up in all patients (n=81) and by clinical severity of cortisol excess.

n=81 MACE 30
(37.0%)
Moderate CS
24 (29.7%)
Severe CS
27 (33.3%)
P
Median follow-up, months 14.0 (6.5–36.0) 18.0 (11.8–34.5) 11.5 (3.0–40.0) 12.0 (6.0–34.0) 0.37
Number of patients with postoperative 8AM serum cortisol 24 h off any GC 33 (40.7%) 16 (53.3%) 10 (41.7%) 7 (25.9%) 0.11
Immediate postoperative serum cortisol, μg/dL, nmol/L, n=33
(Reference range 7–25 μg/dL, 193–690 nmol/L)
3.1 (1.3–5.6)
86 (35–155)
3.2 (1.1–6.1)
88 (33–167)
3.9 (1.5–6.0)
108 (40–164)
1.6 (1.2–4.3)
44 (33–119)
0.68
Patients who received perioperative IV steroids 63 (77.8%) 17 (56.7%) 22 (91.7%) 24 (88.9%) 0.002
Hydrocortisone-equivalent dose at the start of the glucocorticoid therapy, mg/day 40 (30–60) 37.5 (20–40) 40 (21.2–50) 60 (40–80) 0.002
Type of glucocorticoid therapy:
Hydrocortisone 39 (48.1%) 18 (60.0%) 9 (37.5%) 12 (44.4%) 0.23
Prednisone 42 (51.9%) 12 (40.0%) 15 (62.5%) 15 (55.6%) 0.23
8AM serum cortisol at recovery, μg/dL 11 (10.5–14.0) 11 (10.0–15.5) 11.0 (10.0–15.5) 11.7 (10.0–13.3) 0.95
(Reference range 7–25 μg/dL, 193–690 nmol/L) 306 (276–387) 304 (290–386) 304 (276–428) 323 (276–368)

Continuous data are summarized as median and interquartile ranges. Categorical data are presented as frequencies and percentages. All P-values <0.05 were considered significant.

Abbreviations used: CS, Cushing syndrome; GC, glucocorticoid; IV, intravenous; MACE, mild autonomous cortisol excess.