Classification, diagnosis and treatment of ACTH-independent macronodular adrenal hyperplasia.

ACTH-independent macronodular adrenal hyperplasia (AIMAH) is a distinctive subtype of Cushing's syndrome (CS), with different clinical manifestations according to the level of serum cortisol. Based on clinical manifestations and serum cortisol, we divide AIMAH into three types, subclinical AIMAH, clinical AIMAH and high-risk AIMAH, with varied treatment methods being adapted to different subtypes. At the same time, we describe 3 patients who represent these subtypes of this disease, and review some cases of AIMAH which have been previously reported in the English literature. To our knowledge, this is the first article discussing classification, diagnosis and treatment of this disease and should be useful for future therapy of AIMAH.