Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy: A Cure for Male Pattern Baldness

In 2007, a 64-year-old woman with male pattern hair loss was found to have extremely high testosterone levels of 22.3 nmol/l, far above the normal range of 0.0–2.9 nmol/l. This led to the diagnosis of an androgen-secreting adrenal tumor. She underwent a laparoscopic retroperitoneal right adrenalectomy, a minimally invasive surgical procedure to remove the adrenal gland, and was discharged in less than 48 hours. Two weeks post-surgery, her testosterone levels had significantly dropped to 0.4 nmol/l, and her hair loss had stopped three weeks later. Eight weeks post-surgery, her testosterone levels were at 0.3 nmol/l. Histology suggested a benign adrenocortical adenoma, and she remained asymptomatic with no further hair loss six months post-surgery. The case highlighted the importance of screening women with male pattern baldness for testosterone-producing neoplasms.