All these years I just thought I had high blood pressure. I never knew what was going on,” says Gloria Beauregard. Dr. Masha Livhits, an endocrine surgeon at Ronald Regan UCLA Medical Center, explains, “Mrs. Beauregard had what’s called an aldosteronoma, which is usually a benign tumor in her adrenal gland. That produced too much aldosterone (hormone) and caused her blood pressure to be elevated. We removed her adrenal gland through a retro peritoneal laparoscopic approach (minimally invasive surgery through the back using tiny incisions).” Gloria adds, “I only had pain the first night, and the next day I was fine. My blood pressure is down and back to normal. I’m so happy I had this done. I’m always so afraid of doctors, but everybody is so friendly, supportive and professional. I would recommend UCLA to anybody.

Tags: aldosterone, aldosteronoma, benign tumor, Dr. Masha Livhits, endocrine, Endocrine, endocrine surgeon, Endocrine Surgery, Endocrinology, featured, high blood pressure, minimally invasive surgery, patient stories, Surgery