The Characteristics of Nine Patients with Adrenal Incidentalomas

Abstract

With the widening use of computerized tomography, the incidentaloma, an adenoma found incidentally in the adrenal, in computerized tomograms obtained for problems not necessarily related to the adrenal, has emerged as a recent clinical entity. Nine cases with such tumors are presented, here, along with a brief review of the related medical literature. Endocrine and other studies have shown that two of these nine patients had hormone secreting adrenal tumors, two pheochromocytomas. Surgical resection of the tumor was performed in six of the cases and aspiration biopsy was done in four with three completely benign cytological examination results (Class I or II) and one Class III result. The tumor with the class III result turned out to be a benign pheochromocytoma. CT estimates of the tumor size were 25mm to 80mm in the whole group and 30 to 80mm in the patients who were operated on. Operation and histopathologic examination revealed three cortical adenomas, two pheochromocytomas, and one myelolipoma. Although no malignant tumors were found, the percentage of functioning adrenal neoplasms is rather high (22.2%) in this group of nine incidentalomas. Cases of adrenal incidentaloma therefore require a thorough endocrine evaluation along with other examinations which allow the clinician to follow tumor size. © 1995, The Japan Endocrine Society. All rights reserved.