Outcome of and complications associated with bilateral
adrenalectomy in 8 cats with pituitary-dependent
hyperadrenocorticism and bilateral adrenocortical
hyperplasia and outcome of and complications associated with unilateral
adrenalectomy in 2 cats with adrenocortical
tumor (
adrenocortical adenoma, 1 cat;
adrenocortical carcinoma, 1 cat) and unilateral adrenomegaly were determined.
Glucocorticoids were administered to all cats at the time of surgery, and
mineralocorticoids were administered to the 8 cats that underwent bilateral
adrenalectomy. A ventral midline celiotomy was performed in all cats.
Intraoperative complications did not develop in any cat. Postoperative complications developed in all cats and included abnormal serum
electrolyte concentrations (n = 8), skin
lacerations (n = 5),
pancreatitis (n = 3),
hypoglycemia (n = 2),
pneumonia (n = 1), and
venous thrombosis (n = 1). Three cats died within 5 weeks after surgery of complications associated with
sepsis (n = 2) or
thromboembolism (n = 1). Clinical signs and physical abnormalities caused by
hyperadrenocorticism resolved in the remaining 7 cats 2 to 4 months after
adrenalectomy.
Insulin treatment was discontinued in 4 of 6 cats with
diabetes mellitus. Median survival time for these 7 cats was 12 months (range, 3 to > 30 months). Two cats died of acute adrenocortical insufficiency 3 and 6 months after bilateral
adrenalectomy, 2 cats were euthanatized because of
chronic renal failure 3 and 12 months after bilateral (n = 1) or unilateral (n = 1)
adrenalectomy, and 2 cats were alive 9 and 14 months after bilateral
adrenalectomy. In the remaining cat, clinical signs recurred 10 months after the cat had undergone unilateral
adrenalectomy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)