Why do patients with Cushing's syndrome receive steroids during surgery?

It is important that patients with Cushing's syndrome receive extra steroids intravenously during the operation called stress dose steroids to help the body respond to the stress of the operation. Patients will typically need to be gradually tapered off their steroids over the course of many months to a year or two until the adrenal glands or remaining adrenal gland can produce enough cortisol on its own. This is due to the fact that when a patient has longstanding Cushing's syndrome, the remaining adrenal gland(s) take a long time to wake up and function normally.