Severe perioperative hypotension after nephrectomy with adrenalectomy

A 70-year-old obese, hypertensive woman taking angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and chlorthalidone but with no history of corticosteroid treatment or hypothalamus-hypophyseal-adrenal disease, underwent nephrectomy and adrenalectomy under combined general and epidural anesthesia. Severe hypotension with oliguria developed during surgery and persisted during postoperative recovery, with anuria, metabolic acidosis, hyponatremia and hyperpotassemia. Although the symptoms were initially attributed to prior treatment with ACE inhibitors and diuretics together with combined anesthesia, the patient's lack of response to crystalloid, colloid and inotropic catecholamine therapy in the context of anuria, metabolic acidosis, hyponatremia and hyperpotassemia led us to consider a diagnosis of Addisonian crisis. Blood samples were taken to determine adrenocorticotropic hormone levels, and hydrocortisone treatment was started. The patient responded to treatment and cortisol levels fell, confirming the diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency. Compensatory endrocrine secretion of cortisol by the contralateral adrenal gland has been observed in patients undergoing nephrectomy and adrenalectomy for excision of a hypernephroma, and replacement therapy is therefore not recommended. Perioperative Addisonian crises have also been described in patients suffering great surgical stress, and severe hypotension has been observed in patients on long-term treatment with ACE inhibitors after induction of general anesthesia and after epidural anesthesia with local anesthetics. The combination of these factors made rapid diagnosis and start of appropriate therapy difficult.     

Serum cortisol concentration with exploratory cut-off values do not predict the effects of hydrocortisone administration in children with low cardiac output after cardiac surgery

OBJECTIVES Low cardiac output syndrome is common after paediatric cardiac surgery. Previous studies suggested that hydrocortisone administration may improve haemodynamic stability in case of resistant low cardiac output syndrome in critically ill children. This study was set up to test the hypothesis that the effects of hydrocortisone on haemodynamics in children with low cardiac output syndrome depend on the presence of (relative) adrenal insufficiency. METHODS A retrospective study was done on paediatric patients who received hydrocortisone when diagnosed with resistant low cardiac output syndrome after paediatric cardiac surgery in the period from 1 November 2005 to 31 December 2008. We studied the difference in effects of treatment with hydrocortisone administration between patients with adrenal insufficiency defined as an exploratory cut-off value of total cortisol of <100?nmol/l and patients with a serum total cortisol of ≥100?nmol/l. RESULTS A total of 62 of patients were enrolled, meeting the inclusion criteria for low cardiac output syndrome. Thirty-two patients were assigned to Group 1 (<100?nmol/l) and 30 were assigned to Group 2 (≥100?nmol/l). Haemodynamics improved after hydrocortisone administration, with an increase in blood pressure, a decrease in administered vasopressors and inotropic drugs, an increase in urine production and a decrease in plasma lactate concentrations. CONCLUSIONS The effects of treatment with hydrocortisone in children with low cardiac output after cardiac surgery was similar in patients with a low baseline serum cortisol concentration and those with normal baseline cortisol levels. A cortisol value using an exploratory cut-off value of 100?nmol/l for adrenal insufficiency should not be used as a criterion to treat these patients with hydrocortisone.     

Addisonian crisis in a liver transplant patient due to fluconazole withdrawal

Fluconazole is an antifungal agent commonly used in liver transplant patients. In addition to its antifungal activity, it is a potent inhibitor of the liver cytochrome P450 enzymes. These enzymes degrade a wide range of metabolically active compounds including glucocorticoids. In this report, we identify an episode of Addisonian crisis that occurred in a liver transplant patient receiving prednisone immunosuppression after fluconazole was discontinued. We postulate the mechanism for the crisis was a reversal of the fluconazole-induced suppression of the P450 enzymes. The resulting increased activity altered the patient's glucocorticoid metabolism leading to an Addisonian crisis.     

Cardiac failure and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome in a patient with endocrine adenomatosis

In this case report, we present the successful therapy of severe cardiac failure in pituitary adrenal insufficiency. A previously healthy 56-year-old-man in pituitary coma due to an atypical variant of multiple endocrine adenomatosis (pituitary adenoma and pheochromocytoma) suffered from cardiac failure resistant to catecholamine and standard hydrocortisone therapy. After two bolus injections of dexamethasone (2 x 24 mg) mean arterial pressure and cardiac function dramatically improved, probably due to restoration of permissive effects on catecholamine action and reversal of pathophysiological mechanisms of cardiac failure. We conclude that in patients with severe cardiovascular failure in pituitary coma the administration of potent glucocorticoids may be more effective in reversing cardiovascular failure than standard dosages of hydrocortisone.     

Hydrocortisone improved haemodynamics and fluid requirement in surviving but not non-surviving of severely burned patients

Recent studies have shown that administration of hydrocortisone may lead to a reduction of catecholamines and to an improved outcome in septic patients. However, there are no data on the use of hydrocortisone in burn patients although in these patients reduction of vasopressors might be even more crucial for outcome due to improvement of skin perfusion. This study presents the first results on the impact of hydrocortisone administration in norepinephrine dependent severely burned patients. In a prospective cohort study fourteen consecutive severely burned patients received, 12h after norepinephrine dependency, a hydrocortisone bolus of 100mg followed by 0.18mg/(kgh) hydrocortisone. The course of the necessary norepinephrine dose, as well as the fluid balance was documented 12h prior and after the first dosage of hydrocortisone. Statistical analysis showed an unexpected increase of the required norepinephrine dosage. A statistical post hoc evaluation of surviving and non-surviving patients revealed a significant increase of norepinephrine in non-survivors whereas in survivors it was possible to reduce norepinephrine significantly. Furthermore, the median fluid requirement of surviving patients could be significantly reduced whereas in the group of non-survivors there was no change of volume needed. Our data suggests that hydrocortisone might be useful in selected patients with severe burn injuries. However, patients not responding to hydrocortisone administrations seem to have a poor prognosis. Our findings are in contrast to previously published data on septic patients, in whom hydrocortisone administration resulted in a reduction of norepinephrine. In burned patients the severity of trauma seems to have more profound influence on the pathophysiological mechanism of sepsis. Due to the high number of non-responders, the potential immune suppression and impaired wound healing caused by the side effects of hydrocortisone, further selection criteria seem to be necessary. A short ACTH-test might be considered prior to hydrocortisone administration to select patients who might benefit from this therapy. In summary, further prospective controlled studies will be necessary to establish hydrocortisone in the routine therapy of severely burned patients.     

Successful treatment with hydrocortisone for heat stroke with critical illness-related corticosteroid insufficiency: transitional changes in serum cytokine and cortisol concentrations

A 37-year-old man was transferred to our emergency center because of heat stroke with circulatory shock. Despite aggressive body cooling, massive intravenous transfusion, and supply of inotropic agents, shock was persistent. To evaluate adrenal function, an adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation test was conducted and the results indicated that he had critical illness-related corticosteroid insufficiency (CIRCI) as a result of adrenal insufficiency. Continuous hydorocortisone administration was started and he recovered from shock within a few hours. He was discharged on the thirty-seventh hospital day. Serum cortisol and cytokine concentrations were initially high and the cytokines decreased subsequent to hydrocortisone administration. It is speculated that CIRCI is an exacerbating factor in heat stroke, and hydrocortisone may be a potential therapeutic approach in such patients.     

Adrenal insufficiency in patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms

PURPOSE: Failure of the adrenocortical system after open repair of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (RAAA) has never been reported, to our knowledge. This study was undertaken to examine the incidence and response to treatment of adrenal insufficiency in the RAAA population. METHODS: A 6-year retrospective analysis was carried out on data for all patients admitted after RAAA repair. A cosyntropin stimulation test (CST) was performed in patients with unexplained postoperative hypotension. Patients with adrenal insufficiency were given stress dose hydrocortisone, followed by slow hydrocortisone taper. RESULTS: Twenty of 26 patients admitted after RAAA repair survived longer than 1 week. Nine of these 20 patients underwent CST because of unexplained hypotension, and six patients were found to have adrenal insufficiency. Compared with the three patients with normal CST and the 11 patients with normotension who did not require testing, patients with adrenal insufficiency had greater preoperative hypotension (83% vs 29%; P =.05), greater operative blood loss (7.0 +/- 1.6 L vs 3.0 +/- 0.9 L; P =.003), longer lower extremity ischemia time (5.0 +/- 2.3 hours vs 1.3 +/- 0.5 hours; P =.025), and lower intraoperative urine output (0.8 +/- 0.4 mL/kg/hr vs 2.1 +/- 0.6 mL/kg/hr; P =.023). No difference in length of stay (40 +/- 18 days vs 35 +/- 26 days), major complications (27% vs 32%), or overall mortality (17% vs 15%) was demonstrated with steroid therapy. Initiation of steroid therapy enabled weaning of vasopressor support within 48 hours in patients with adrenal insufficiency. CONCLUSIONS: Adrenal insufficiency was identified in 67% of patients with RAAA with unexplained postoperative hypotension given a CST. Predictors of adrenal insufficiency after RAAA repair include preoperative hypotension and a complicated operative course. Steroid therapy can limit vasopressor dependence, and is not associated with increased morbidity or mortality.     

Guidelines for the management of glucocorticoids during the peri-operative period for patients with adrenal insufficiency

These guidelines aim to ensure that patients with adrenal insufficiency are identified and adequately supplemented with glucocorticoids during the peri-operative period. There are two major categories of adrenal insufficiency. Primary adrenal insufficiency is due to diseases of the adrenal gland (failure of the hormone-producing gland), and secondary adrenal insufficiency is due to deficient adrenocorticotropin hormone secretion by the pituitary gland, or deficient corticotropin-releasing hormone secretion by the hypothalamus (failure of the regulatory centres). Patients taking physiological replacement doses of corticosteroids for either primary or secondary adrenal insufficiency are at significant risk of adrenal crisis and must be given stress doses of hydrocortisone during the peri-operative period. Many more patients other than those with adrenal and hypothalamic–pituitary causes of adrenal failure are receiving glucocorticoids as treatment for other medical conditions. Daily doses of prednisolone of 5 mg or greater in adults and 10–15 mg.m⁻² hydrocortisone equivalent or greater in children may result in hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal axis suppression if administered for 1 month or more by oral, inhaled, intranasal, intra-articular or topical routes; this chronic administration of glucocorticoids is the most common cause of secondary adrenal suppression, sometimes referred to as tertiary adrenal insufficiency. A pragmatic approach to adrenal replacement during major stress is required; considering the evidence available, blanket recommendations would not be appropriate, and it is essential for the clinician to remember that adrenal replacement dosing following surgical stress or illness is in addition to usual steroid treatment. Patients with previously undiagnosed adrenal insufficiency sometimes present for the first time following the stress of surgery. Anaesthetists must be familiar with the symptoms and signs of acute adrenal insufficiency so that inadequate supplementation or undiagnosed adrenal insufficiency can be detected and treated promptly. Delays may prove fatal.     

Resurrection of steroids for sepsis resuscitation

Corticosteroids were proposed to treat patients with severe sepsis as early as 1940. A summary of all available randomized controlled trials performed between 1966 and 1993 was provided in two systematic review that recommended to abandon the use of high dose coricosteroids to treat patients with severe infection. Nonetheless, a doubt still persist regarding the efficacy of a strategy of replacement therapy in cathecolamines-dependent shock. This strategy relies mainly on the concept that septic shock may be complicated by 1) an occult adrenal insufficiency, 2) a glucocorticoid peripheral resistance syndrome. Some studies demonstrated the effect of replacement therapy with hydrocortisone on the sistemic inflammatory response and on the cardiovascular function during sepsis. The effect of this therapy on survival to septic shock is controversial both in recent and old studies. Finally a recently completed multicenter, placebo controlled, randomized, double-blind study has evaluated the efficacy and tolerance of a replacement therapy with a combination of hydrocortisone (50 mg intravenous bolus four times per day) and fludrocortisone (50 g orally once a day) given for 7 days. This study included 300 catecholamines- and ventilator-dependent septic shock. The authors found a significant reduction in 28-day mortality in patient with occult renal insufficiency. In sum, short course with high doses of corticosteroids should not be given in severe sepsis, except for specific entitles like severe typhoid fever, pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in AIDS or bacterial meningitis in children. The rational for a replacement therapy with hydrocortisone in catecholamines-dependent septic shock grows stronger.     

Surgical management of hereditary pheochromocytoma

BACKGROUND: Surgical treatment of hereditary pheochromocytoma remains controversial because of the need for lifelong corticosteroid therapy and the risk of Addisonian crisis associated with bilateral total adrenalectomy. We examined our large series of patients with hereditary pheochromocytoma to evaluate postsurgical outcomes, particularly in those who underwent cortical-sparing adrenalectomy. STUDY DESIGN: We retrospectively reviewed the outcomes of all patients with histopathologic diagnoses of hereditary pheochromocytoma treated at our institution from 1962 to 2003. Familial disease was initially determined by pedigree analysis, genetic testing, or both for multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) types 1, 2A, or 2B; von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL); neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1); or familial paraganglioma syndrome (FP). RESULTS: Adrenal pheochromocytomas were present in 56 of 59 patients (95%): MEN2A (39), MEN2B (7), VHL (6), MEN1 (2), NF-1 (2). Paragangliomas (extraadrenal pheochromocytomas) were present in the remaining 3 of 59 patients (5%): FP (2) and NF-1 (1). Thirty-eight of 56 patients with pheochromocytomas had cumulative operations resulting in total or subtotal bilateral adrenalectomy. Acute adrenal insufficiency (Addisonian crisis) occurred in 4 of these 38 patients (11%). Cortical-sparing adrenalectomy was performed in 26 patients who underwent bilateral adrenal resection; 17 (65%) were corticosteroid independent at a median followup of 71 months. Recurrent pheochromocytoma developed in an adrenal remnant in 3 of 30 patients (10%) who underwent unilateral or bilateral cortical-sparing procedures. Metastatic disease did not develop in any patient with pheochromocytoma, but has occurred in two of three patients with paragangliomas. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that a cortical-sparing adrenalectomy can successfully avoid the need for corticosteroid replacement in the majority of patients who undergo a bilateral adrenalectomy. Long-term followup should include monitoring of the remnant gland for recurrent pheochromocytoma with yearly biochemical screening studies.     

经尿道前列腺电切术后急性肾上腺皮质功能低下12例临床分析

目的 提高经尿道前列腺电切术后急性肾上腺皮质功能低下的诊治水平。方法 回顾性分析12例患者行经尿道前列腺电切术后的临床表现及诊治经过。结果 根据临床表现并检测血皮质醇浓度，12例患者均确诊为肾上腺皮质功能低下，经静注地塞米松20mg／d或静滴琥珀酸氢化可的松200mg／d均治愈，疗程20d。随访4也0个月，平均13个月，均未复发。结论 对于老年男性患者行经尿道前列腺电切术后，应警惕发生急性肾上腺皮质功能低下的可能，早期应用地塞米松或琥珀酸氢化可的松有利于及早诊治。     

Cardiac arrest in an infant with congenital adrenal hyperplasia

We report a 3-month-old boy who suffered an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. During resuscitation, the medical team was informed that he was receiving hydrocortisone treatment. The possibility of adrenal insufficiency with hyperkalemic cardiac arrest prompted the administration of calcium, which resulted in the return of spontaneous circulation. The infant's diagnosis of congenital adrenal hyperplasia was not spontaneously mentioned by the parents. This case illustrates the importance of obtaining adequate parental information and considering hyperkalemia as a possible cause of cardiac arrest.     

Risk Factors and Management of Leukopenia After Kidney Transplantation: A Single-Center Experience

BackgroundLeukopenia is a common complication after kidney transplantation. The etiology is multifactorial, with medication adverse effects and cytomegalovirus infection as main causes. Optimal strategies to prevent or treat posttransplant leukopenia remain unknown. We aimed to identify risk factors for leukopenia and to investigate the benefit of switching the immunosuppressive therapy to hydrocortisone as a continuous infusion.MethodsWe retrospectively evaluated all patients with leukopenia after kidney transplantation between 2007 and 2017 at our center relative to age- and sex-matched controls.ResultsLeukopenia was associated with the degree of rejection therapy before leukopenia, the immunosuppressive therapy before transplantation, and an induction therapy with rabbit antithymocyte globulin. Patients with leukopenia exhibited increased mortality, an increased incidence of bacterial and viral infections, and more acute rejections. Switching to hydrocortisone as a continuous infusion in patients with severe leukopenia decreased the duration of leukopenia and the incidence of subsequent viral infections, especially with cytomegalovirus.ConclusionLeukopenia is a risk factor for infectious complications and mortality, and it is associated with acute rejection. Switching immunosuppressive therapy to hydrocortisone as a continuous infusion is a safe approach to reduce the duration of leukopenia and the incidence of viral infections.     

Cushing's disease treated by trans-sphenoidal selective adenomectomy in mid-pregnancy

The clinical course and diagnosis of a patient with Cushing's disease complicated by pregnancy is described, and the anaesthetic management of trans-sphenoidal selective adenomectomy performed during the second trimester outlined. Problems included obesity, diabetes, hypertension and a suboptimal airway. Fibreoptic awake intubation and intravenous anaesthesia were used. Insulin requirements decreased substantially after surgery. Early administration of hydrocortisone after surgery avoided the risk of an addisonian crisis but delayed biochemical confirmation of a metabolic cure.      

Management of pheochromocytomas in patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 syndromes.

OBJECTIVE: The authors sought to determine the optimal surgical management of pheochromocytomas that develop in patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) type 2 syndromes. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: The performance of empirical bilateral adrenalectomy in patients with MEN 2A or MEN 2B, whether or not they have bilateral pheochromocytomas, is controversial. METHODS: The results of unilateral or bilateral adrenalectomy were studied in 58 patients (49 with MEN 2A and 9 with MEN 2B). Recurrence of disease was evaluated by measuring 24-hour urinary excretion rates of catecholamines and metabolites and by computed tomography (CT) scanning. RESULTS: The mean postoperative follow-up was 9.40 years. There was no operative mortality and malignant or extra-adrenal pheochromocytomas were not present. Twenty-three patients with a unilateral pheochromocytoma and a macroscopically normal contralateral gland underwent unilateral adrenalectomy. A pheochromocytoma developed in the remaining gland a mean of 11.87 years after the primary adrenalectomy in 12 (52%) patients. Conversely, 11 (48%) patients did not develop pheochromocytoma during a mean interval of 5.18 years. In the interval after unilateral adrenalectomy, no patient experienced hypertensive crises or other complications related to an undiagnosed pheochromocytoma. Ten (23%) of 43 patients having both adrenal glands removed (either at a single operation or sequentially) experienced at least one episode of acute adrenal insufficiency or Addisonian crisis, including one patient who died during a bout of influenza. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these data, the treatment of choice for patients with MEN 2A or MEN 2B and a unilateral pheochromocytoma is resection of only the involved gland. Substantial morbidity and significant mortality are associated with the Addisonian state after bilateral adrenalectomy.     

Delayed adrenal insufficiency long after unilateral adrenalectomy: Prolonged glucocorticoid therapy reduced reserved secretory capacity of cortisol

A 51-year-old woman with Cushing's syndrome underwent unilateral adrenalectomy for left adrenal adenoma. After 7 years of prednisolone treatment (with some interruptions), followed by 4 years of total withdrawal from prednisolone treatment, she presented with hypotension, weight loss, general fatigue, nausea, hyponatremia and hypoglycemia. These clinical features together with a low response in the rapid adrenocorticotropic hormone test led to the diagnosis of acute adrenal insufficiency. Relatively low serum adrenocorticotropic hormone levels in the face of increased demand for cortisol during adrenal crisis suggested a disordered hypothalamic-pituitary function, indicating secondary adrenal insufficiency. This patient demonstrated the etiology of acute adrenal insufficiency long after unilateral adrenalectomy in association with subsequent glucocorticoid therapy. A reduction in the reserved secretory capacity of cortisol after prolonged prednisolone treatment was considered to have induced secondary adrenal insufficiency, even after 4 years of total withdrawal from prednisolone.     

Pituitary apoplexy presenting as unilateral third cranial nerve palsy after coronary artery bypass surgery

The new onset of pituitary apoplexy is a rare perioperative complication of coronary artery bypass surgery. A variety of clinical presentations of pituitary apoplexy have been reported including absence of clinical symptoms or headache, sudden deterioration of mental status, visual changes, Addisonian crisis, and ophthalmoplegia, including third cranial nerve palsy and/or ptosis. Early diagnosis and treatment usually results in excellent outcome. We report a case of pituitary apoplexy that presented with only a unilateral dilated pupil, ptosis, and vision change within 3 h after coronary artery bypass surgery. The patient recovered fully after early pituitary tumor resection and hormonal therapy. IMPLICATIONS: Unilateral pupil dilation is a rare perioperative complication after coronary artery bypass surgery. We report a case of pituitary apoplexy that presented clinically as unilateral dilated pupil, ptosis, and visual loss shortly after coronary artery bypass surgery.     

PHYSIOLOGICAL CORTISOL SUBSTITUTION OF LONG-TERM STEROID-TREATED PATIENTS UNDERGOING MAJOR SURGERY

In 22 patients undergoing elective surgery, adrenal functionwas assessed before and on the day of surgery. Patients receivingcorticosteroid therapy but with a normal cortisol response toa corticotropin stimulation test (group II, n = 8) were notgiven hydrocortisone on the day of operation. Their cortisolconcentration increased in a manner similar to patients (groupI, n = 8) who had never had corticosteroid treatment. The plasmacortisol concentrations in these two groups were less than insubjects (group III, n = 6) with an impaired cortisol responseto corticotropin stimulation, who were given hydrocortisone25 mg at the induction of anaesthesia followed by a continuousinfusion of hydrocortisone 100 mg during the next 24h. Therewere no clinical signs of circulatory insufficiency in any group.The low-dose hydrocortisone therapy regimen is sufficient forsubstitution of adrenal function during surgery and in the earlypostoperative phase. It could lead to mild oversubstitutionin patients with impaired adrenal insufficiency undergoing majorsurgery.     

Preoperative and Postoperative Use of Clonidine with Neurolept Anaesthesia

The abrupt cessation of clonidine therapy can induce a withdrawal syndrome. This may also appear immediately after anaesthesia if clonidine medication is discontinued during the operation day. We studied (1) whether the withdrawal syndrome occurs postoperatively as often as otherwise when clonidine therapy is discontinued, and (2) the action of this clonidine withdrawal on the circulation as compared to patients who received clonidine without interruption during the operation day. During the recovery period in 2 out of 10 patients in whom clonidine medication was discontinued, a hypertensive crisis occurred, which was relieved by clonidine readministration. Clonidine given with premedication eliminated high rises in blood pressure during anaesthesia. During the recovery period, the regular intramuscular administration of the same dose of clonidine as the patients had used orally decreased blood pressure to almost normotensive levels. The slightly increased urinary catecholamine excretion and plasma renin activity in these patients might, however, indicate that the circulatory homeostasis was disturbed in some degree. The results suggest that it is important to give clonidine continuously, even during the operation day. The dose may be the same as, or preferably somewhat smaller than that which the patients have previously received orally.     

Bilateral adrenal hemorrhage after colectomy for perforated diverticulitis: A case report

IntroductionBilateral adrenal hemorrhage can lead to acute adrenal insufficiency. This is a rare complication in the post-operative setting, and we present a case in which it developed after a colectomy for perforated diverticulitis.Presentation of caseThe patient is a 65-year-old female who presented with abdominal pain, nausea, emesis, and hematochezia, and CT scan showing sigmoid diverticulitis with peri-sigmoid abscess. After a failure of non-operative treatment, she underwent Hartmann’s resection, and her post-operative course was complicated by refractory tachycardia, hypotension, hyponatremia, and nausea/vomiting. Bleeding, hypovolemia, and sepsis were ruled out. A CT scan showed enlarged poorly defined adrenals bilaterally, suggestive of bilateral adrenal hemorrhage. Serum cortisol level was low and diagnostic of acute adrenal insufficiency. With intravenous steroid therapy (hydrocortisone), her vital signs, laboratory abnormalities, and diet intolerance all resolved. She was discharged on oral prednisone and continued long term.DiscussionBilateral adrenal hemorrhage is rare post-operatively and can lead to adrenal insufficiency. 15% of patients who die in shock have bilateral adrenal hemorrhage on autopsy, indicating the necessity of timely diagnosis and treatment of this condition. Corticosteroid therapy is the mainstay of treatment.ConclusionThis case study illustrates that post-operative delay of progression or worsening of condition, with no alternative explanation, can be due to acute adrenal insufficiency resulting from bilateral adrenal hemorrhage, and timely diagnosis and treatment of this condition is paramount for a favorable outcome.