Question: Is it possible for an atrophied adrenal gland not to recover following removal of an adrenal tumor?

Answer: If the adrenal tumor is making Cortisol and suppressing the pituitary adrenal axis and the contralateral adrenal is quite atrophied, the time needed to recover the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis may be quite prolonged. If the suppression is severe, this is the clinical scenario where rare cases have never recovered hypothalamic pituitary adrenal secretion. I would not say clearly the axis always recovers because rare cases have been reported that never recover.

By Dr. David Cook MD (February, 1999)