Ultrastructural studies of adrenal adenoma causing primary aldosteronism.

Adrenal adenoma tissue was obtained from 7 patients with the diagnosis of primary aldosteronism and was studied electron microscopically. Spironolactone was administered in 6 of these patients, but not in the remaining patient. Most of the mitochondria of the tumour cells possessed tubular cristae, giving an appearance similar to the mitochondria in the cells of the zona glomerulosa. Spironolactone bodies were seen in the tumour cells of 6 patients who were given spironolactone preoperatively, but were not observed in these cells in the patient not given spironolactone. The literature on the developmental mechanism of this spironolactone body was reviewed.