Surgery of Subclinical Cortisol Secreting Adrenal Incidentalomas (CHIRACIC)

Adrenal incidentalomas are unsuspected adrenal masses found during abdominal imaging. With the widespread use of computed tomography and MRI, adrenal incidentalomas are found in approximately 2% of patients. In an endocrinology setting, the majority of these masses are benign adenomas of the adrenal cortex. Approximately 10% of these adenomas display little excess of cortisol secretion associated to some degree of secretory autonomy but that are insufficient to generate overt Cushing's syndrome ("Subclinical Secreting Cortisol incidentalomas" or SCSI). However, hypertension and to a lesser degree obesity and impaired glucose tolerance are very frequent amongst patients with SCSI. The hypothesis that the mild hypercortisolism associated with SCSI is responsible for these clinical consequences is substantiated by few studies describing improvement after resection of SCSI. However, these studies were retrospective, uncontrolled and suffered from imprecision and numerous methodological bias. Thus, whether surgery is more beneficial than medical treatment is currently unknown and there is no consensus on the appropriate treatment for SCSI.

Patient selection Run-In period. Discontinuation of previous antihypertensive treatments and prescription of a standardized anti-hypertensive drug regimen (SAHR). Monthly Blood Pressure (BP) measurement using home BP monitoring. The duration of the Run-In periods will be ≤ 6 months and will end when BP will be controlled with the SAHR at two consecutive visits.

End of RI Second endocrine assessment for eligibility Randomization (Ra): 24h Ambulatory BP measurement, anthropometric and metabolic evaluation. Quality of life and cognition questionnaires. Randomization in 2 groups : Gr 1 Treatment group : Surgery followed by intensive medical care ; Gr 2 : Control Group : intensive medical care only.

Ra + 1Mo: Surgery in Group 1 Ra + 2.5 Mo to Ra + 13 Mo: 6 weeks interval follow-up Evaluation of home BP monitoring and adaptation of the SAHR. A step by step reduction of the SAHR will be attempted in the two patient groups at Ra+2.5Mo. A second attempt will systematically be performed in both groups at Ra+8.5 Medical evaluation of associated metabolic conditions (obesity, diabetes, dyslipidemia) and adaptation of treatments Record of medical events and side effects of treatments Ra + 13Mo: Final evaluation. Endocrine assessment. 24h Ambulatory BP measurement, anthropometric and metabolic evaluation. Quality of life and cognition questionnaires.