Unilateral Non-Hemorrhagic Adrenal Infarction in Pregnancy: Case Series and Literature Review

Autor: Nikolai Tschuertz, Patrick Kupczyk, Bernd Poetzsch, Ulrich Gembruch, Waltraut M. Merz
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Clinical Medicine, Vol 12, Iss 14, p 4855 (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2077-0383
DOI: 10.3390/jcm12144855
Popis: To summarize the evidence on non-hemorrhagic adrenal infarction (NHAI) and identify questions arising in diagnosis and management, cases in the PubMed database were merged with our case series. A total of 92 publications were retrieved, 15 of which reported on NHAI during pregnancy. Including the four in our case series, 24 cases have been described so far. Severe, unremitting pain requiring opioid analgesia was the leading symptom, often combined with nausea and vomiting. Laboratory results were non-contributory in most cases. Diagnosis was established via MRI in nine cases (37.5%) and via CT in six (25%); nine patients (37.5%) underwent both investigations. Location was predominantly on the right side (n = 16, 66.7%). In addition to analgesia, anticoagulation with heparin was commenced in 18 cases (75%). When thrombophilia screening was performed, major thrombogenic polymorphisms were detected in six cases (33.3%). One woman developed signs of adrenal insufficiency. The reported perinatal outcome was unremarkable. Unilateral NHAI has emerged as a rare but important cause of severe abdominal pain in pregnancy. The threshold to perform an MRI in pregnant women with characteristic clinical findings should be low. To prevent fetal radiation exposure, diagnostic imaging via CT should be avoided. In addition to symptomatic treatment with opioid analgesia, initiation of anticoagulant treatment should be strongly considered.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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