Saline suppression to distinguish the primary aldosteronism subtype: a diagnostic study

Objectives The saline suppression test (SST) serves to confirm the diagnosis of primary aldosteronism (PA), while adrenal vein sampling (AVS) is used to subtype PA as unilateral or bilateral. Criteria that can accurately identify those with bilateral PA based on SST results could reduce the need for AVS. We previously demonstrated that a combination of plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) < 300 pmol L-1 and a reduction in aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR) following recumbent SST had high specificity for predicting bilateral PA in an Australian cohort of 92 patients with PA who have undergone AVS. We sought to validate our predictive criteria in larger, independent cohorts of patients with PA. Design An international, multi-centre cohort study. Methods Data from 55 patients at Monash Health, Victoria, Australia, 106 patients from the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China, and 105 patients from Nihon University Itabashi Hospital, Japan were analysed. Results A combination of PAC <300 pmol L-1 and a reduction in ARR following recumbent SST predicted bilateral PA with specificities of 88.2%, 97.0%, and 100.0% in Australian, Chinese, and Japanese cohorts, respectively. This criterion could allow 22%-38% of patients with PA to bypass AVS and proceed directly to medical treatment. Conclusion In patients undergoing the recumbent SST, a post-saline PAC <300 pmol L-1 together with a reduction in ARR can predict bilateral PA with high specificity and may allow targeted treatment to be commenced without AVS in up to a third of patients.

Automated summary

The saline suppression test (SST) can confirm the diagnosis of primary aldosteronism (PA), while adrenal vein sampling (AVS) is used to subtype PA as unilateral or bilateral. A combination of plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) <300 pmol/L and a reduction in aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR) following recumbent SST can accurately predict bilateral PA with high specificity. This criterion could reduce the need for AVS in a significant number of patients.