In Reply to: Re: Case 0498_12 -- Percutaneous therapy for a paraneoplastic syndrome secondary to metastatic lung cancer posted by Moni Stein on April 13, 1998 at 09:50:56:
There are more references. You just did not search far enough. Adrenal infarct in the course of adrenal venography is a well known complication of this procedure. What your source is probably referring to as temporary results was three months remission of hypertension due to aldostrenoma caused by inadvertent extravasation of contrast medium into adrenal gland during diagnostic adrenal venography, which does not apply to this case. Purposeful destruction requires more than just contrast medium. I do not know if anyone has tried alcohol, but Zimmerman et al reported Transvenous adrenal desruction : clinical trials in patients with metastatic malignancy Surgery 75:550, 1974. They mixed contrast medium with nitrogen mustard producing ablation of adrenal function. 24-36 hours of moderate pain, nausea and vomiting attends the procedure. Why this procedure did not achieve popularity? Mainly because adrenalectomy was replaced by other procedures.