Hi everyone,
I hope everyone is doing well or at least managing.  For those of you who
may have lost loved fuzzies (or not so fuzzzies) recently, my heart and
soul goes out to you.
 
I am writing tonight to ask about your combined experiences with bilateral
adrenalectomies (bc: before cyrosurgery..hehe).
 
Until the advent of Dr. Weiss's new technique, the theory had been that
despite removal of what appeared to be 'all' the right adrenal gland in a
bilateral adrenalectomy, some tissue must have remained which explained
why less than 5% of ferrets required post-op hormone supplementation.  If
it is true that some tissue is left from that techique it stands to reason
also that recurrences would occur at the right adrenal.  I understand they
do.  In cases where surgeons think they removed all of the right adrenal,
how many have right adrenal recurrences?  How many of those are
metastatic?  or otherwise complicated (eg: involve the vena cava via
impingement, etc.).  Given bilaterals are not frequent events, I'm curious
as to your experiences.
 
Michaela Maurice
College of Veterinary Medicine
Ohio State University
Class of 2002
[Posted in FML issue 2859]