EFL072
For our 72nd episode and the final episode of the sixth season, we review a recent study examining the perioperative medical management of primary aldosteronism, with a focus on the use of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists before adrenalectomy. Primary aldosteronism is increasingly recognized as a common and clinically important cause of secondary hypertension, yet questions remain about optimal preoperative treatment strategies. This study explores whether pretreatment with mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists influences postoperative outcomes and longer term biochemical cure in patients undergoing surgery.
Host Chase Hendrickson, MD, MPH, MHCC, from Vanderbilt University, talks with regular contributor Salila Kurra, MD, from Columbia University, and guest expert Jun Yang, MD, PhD, from Monash Health in Melbourne, Australia. Together, they discuss "Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonist Pre-Adrenalectomy in Primary Aldosteronism," published in the April 2026 issue of JCEM, and consider how these findings may inform perioperative management and surgical decision-making in clinical practice.
Meet the Speakers
Salila Kurra, MD, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Dr. Kurra received her undergraduate degree from Brown University and her medical degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons and completed her post-graduate training in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology at the Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Kurra is an associate professor of medicine at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where she serves as associate dean for student career development. She also serves as the clinical chief of the Division of Endocrinology and as the medical director of the Columbia Adrenal Center. Dr. Kurra previously served as chair of the Endocrine Society's In-Training Examination Steering Group.
Jun Yang, MBBS, PhD, FRACP, Hudson Institute of Medical Research
Professor Jun Yang is Head of the Endocrine Hypertension Group at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research, a Consultant Endocrinologist at Monash Health, and a Senior Researcher in the Department of Medicine at Monash University in Victoria, Australia. She completed her medical degree with Honours at Monash University in 2001, obtained her Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 2010, and was awarded a PhD in 2013 for her work on tissue-selective coregulators of the mineralocorticoid receptor. She is an internationally recognized clinician-scientist in endocrine hypertension, with a particular focus on primary aldosteronism and mineralocorticoid receptor–mediated cardiovascular disease. She has authored more than 150 original publications and established Victoria (Australia) 's first Endocrine Hypertension Service. She co-leads the Primary Aldosteronism Centre of Excellence and is committed to advancing collaborative research to improve the detection and management of primary aldosteronism and related cardiovascular outcomes.
Chase Hendrickson, MD, MPH, MMHC, practices general endocrinology at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he is an associate program director for the endocrinology fellowship program. His interests include endocrine education, teaching inferential methods, and quality improvement.
