Hallazgos extrarraquídeos en la realización de informes de resonancia magnética de la columna / Frequent extraspinal findings in magnetic resonance imaging of the spine

Resumen Durante la realización de informes de resonancia magnética (RM) de columna, pueden encontrarse hallazgos extrarraquídeos, normales o patológicos, que no deben ser omitidos por el médico imagenólogo. Estas imágenes casuales, conocidas como “incidentalomas”, pueden ser la causa que originó la realización de la RM o bien ser totalmente asintomáticas. Se describen hallazgos extrarraquídeos habituales en las RM de columna.

Abstract When reading spinal MR examinations normal or abnormal extra spinal changes can be found but they should be described in the report.These findings, known as “incidentalomas”, can be related to the patient’s symptoms or can be asymptomatic. We describe frequent extraspinal findings found on MR of the spine.

Incidentalomas o no incidentalomas: ¿cuál es la relevancia de los adenomas hipofisarios en el adulto? / Incidentalomas or Non-Incidentalomas: What is the Relevance of Pituitary Adenomas in the Adult?

Introducción: desde el punto de vista anatómico, los adenomas hipofisarios (AH) se observan en el 10% de la población. Son en su mayoría pequeños y no funcionantes. La mayoría de los incidentalomas descubiertos en estudios de imágenes con alta resolución pedidos en situaciones clínicas frecuentes, como el traumatismo craneoencefálico, el accidente cerebrovascular y las demencias, corresponden a AH indolentes. Nos preguntamos cuál es la relevancia clínica de los adenomas hipofisarios. Desarrollo: los AH clínicamente relevantes son tumores en su mayoría benignos que conllevan, en diferentes proporciones, aumento en la morbilidad y/o mortalidad de los pacientes por mecanismos relacionados con la hipersecreción hormonal, la insuficiencia hormonal y/o los efectos de masa ocupante. La prevalencia de los AH clínicamente relevantes es mayor de la que se suponía hace 20 años. Afecta aproximadamente a 1/1000 habitantes. Los más prevalentes son los prolactinomas y los adenomas no funcionantes. La acromegalia, la enfermedad de Cushing y los tumores agresivos se traducen en pacientes complejos con mayor morbimortalidad. El diagnóstico temprano y el tratamiento multimodal proveen una razonable mejoría de la sobrevida. El estudio epidemiológico de los AH clínicamente relevantes es importante para la estimación del impacto en los sistemas de salud. Conclusiones: los estudios por imágenes de mejor resolución continuarán señalando incidentalomas hipofisarios. Una evaluación cuidadosa de los pacientes podrá identificar aquellos AH clínicamente relevantes. (AU)

Introduction: from the anatomical point of view, pituitary adenomas (HA) are observed in 10% of the population. They are mostly small and non-functioning. Most incidentalomas discovered in high-resolution imaging studies ordered in frequent clinical situations, such as head trauma, stroke and dementia, correspond to indolent HA. We wonder what is the clinical relevance of pituitary adenomas. Development: clinically relevant HAs are mostly benign tumors that lead, in different degrees, to an increased morbidity and/or mortality in patients by mechanisms related to hormone hypersecretion, hormone insufficiency and/or occupying mass effects. The prevalence of clinically relevant HA is higher from what was assumed 20 years ago. It affects approximately 1/1000 of the population. The most prevalent are prolactinomas and non-functioning adenomas. Acromegaly, Cushing's disease and aggressive tumors make for complex patients with increased morbidity and mortality. Early diagnosis and multimodal treatment provide a reasonable improvement in survival. Epidemiological study of clinically relevant HAs is important for estimating the impact on health systems. Conclusions: Higher-resolution imaging studies will continue to highlight pituitary incidentalomas. Careful evaluation of patients will identify clinically relevant HAs. (AU)

Normotensive pheochromocytoma presenting as adrenal incidentaloma: A case report

Background@#Pheochromocytomas are rare catecholamine-secreting tumors that usually present with hypertension and palpitations. However, a subset of pheochromocytoma patients is asymptomatic, presenting as adrenal incidentaloma on imaging.@*Case@#We present a case of a 32-year-old normotensive female who presented with a right suprarenal mass on abdominal ultrasound. Diagnosis of pheochromocytoma was made after biochemical testing revealed elevated 24- hour urine metanephrine of 1.96 mg/24hrs (NV:0-1 mg/24hrs) and epinephrine of 129 mcg/24hrs (NV: 2-24 mcg/24hrs). In addition, plasma chromogranin A was elevated at 225.38 ng/ml (NV:<100 ng/ml). CT scan of the abdomen showed a 3.0 x 4.0 x 3.0 cm heterogeneous well-circumscribed right adrenal mass, with 87Hu on contrast, an absolute washout of 21%, and a relative washout of 13% on a delayed scan. After adequate preoperative medical therapy with an alpha-adrenergic blocker, a right laparoscopic adrenalectomy was done, with histopathologic confirmation of pheochromocytoma. Repeat 24-hour urine metanephrine measurements done on multiple follow-ups after surgery were normal.@*Conclusion@#Asymptomatic pheochromocytoma should be included in the differential diagnoses of adrenal incidentalomas. As in our case, patients with normotension and adrenal incidentalomas should still undergo biochemical workup to rule out the presence of pheochromocytoma. Long-term complications from chronic exposure to high catecholamine levels lead to significant adverse cardiovascular effects. Early detection, adequate perioperative preparation, and timely surgical intervention can prevent a potential catastrophe.

Clinical analysis of adrenal incidentaloma in children / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics and treatment regimens of adrenal incidentaloma (AI) in children.Methods:Clinical data of 38 children with AI treated in the Department of Urology, Children′s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from December 2016 to October 2021 were retrospectively analyzed.A total of 38 children were divided into neonatal group and non-neonatal group according to their age at first diagnosis.The neonatal group had 7 males and 9 females patients, of whom 7 cases were detected with AI during prenatal examinations, 9 cases were diagnosed postnatally.Four children in neonatal group had AI in the left adrenal gland and 12 cases in the right, with the maximum diameter of tumor (MDT) ranging from 16-48 mm.In the non-neonatal group, there were 14 males and 8 females patients aged 7 months and 1 day to 12 years and 1 month, and the MDT was 29-131 mm.Paired t test was used to compare the age and MDT of benign and malignant tumors. Results:In the neonatal group, 3 patients were surgically treated, with 2 cases and 1 case of neuroblastoma and teratoma confirmed by postoperative histology, respectively.The remaining 13 patients in the neonatal group were followed up for 1-31 months, with 8 cases and 5 cases of complete remission and significantly decreased tumor volume, respectively.In the non-neonatal group, there were 3, 9 and 10 patients received open biopsy, laparoscopic adrenalectomy, and open adrenalectomy, respectively.Of these 22 surgically treated cases, 8 cases had a benign lesion, including ganglioneuroma ( n=4), adrenocortical adenoma ( n=1), adrenal cyst ( n=1), teratoma ( n=1), and pheochromocytoma ( n=1); while 14 cases had a malignant lesion, including neuroblastoma ( n=8), ganglioneuroblastoma ( n=5), and adrenocortical carcinoma ( n=1). The mean age of patients with malignant tumors was significantly younger than those with benign tumors[(38.94±35.44) months vs.(95.89±41.43) months, t=3.63, P=0.001]. The mean MDT in malignant tumors was significantly longer than that of benign tumors[(64.43±25.20) mm vs.(41.44±15.66) mm, t=2.45, P=0.023]. Conclusions:AI in children has a high risk of malignancy.Therefore, more detailed examinations are needed to detect tumor markers and endocrinological parameters, and imaging tests such as non-contrast and CT examination should be performed as early as possible.AI in children is predominantly neuroblastic tumors.For non-neonatal patients, surgery should be performed as early as possible.For AI found in the neonatal period and prenatal examination, expectant management is feasible if the tumor is relatively small and limited to the adrenal gland without distant metastases.

Guía colombiana de práctica clínica para el diagnóstico y tratamiento del incidentaloma adrenal / Colombian clinical practice guideline for diagnostic and treatment of adrenal incidentaloma

Objetivo: Brindar recomendaciones actualizadas a urólogos y profesionales de la salud involucrados en el diagnóstico y manejo del incidentaloma adrenal. Métodos: Mediante la adopción de la guía para manejo de incidentaloma adrenal de la Sociedad Europea de Endocrinología (AGREE-II y AGREE-REX) y búsqueda complementaria de literatura basada en la mejor evidencia científica disponible en definición, diagnóstico, manejo quirúrgico y seguimiento. Adicionalmente, esta guía aborda pacientes con incidentalomas bilaterales y embarazadas. Resultados: Incidentaloma adrenal se define como una lesión mayor de 1 cm localizado en la suprarrenal, detectada mediante una imagen realizada por una razón diferente a cualquier sospecha de patología adrenal. La gran mayoría son adenomas no funcionantes, que no representan riesgo y no requieren manejo adicional. Sin embargo, existen lesiones tumorales como el carcinoma adrenocortical, el feocromocitoma, adenomas productores de hormonas o metástasis. Conclusiones: Los incidentalomas adrenales son masas predominantemente benignas que no requieren adrenalectomía, no obstante se requiere estudiarlas para descartar patologías que requieran manejo específico. Enfáticamente, la intervención quirúrgica debe guiarse por la probabilidad de malignidad, grado de secreción hormonal, edad, estado de salud y preferencia del paciente.

Objective: To provide updated recommendations to urologists and health-care providers faced to diagnosis and treatment of adrenal incidentaloma. Methods: Through adoption of the adrenal incidentaloma guideline from European Endocrinology Society (AGREE-II and AGREE-REX), and complementary search of literature based on available high-quality scientific evidence for definition, diagnosis, surgical management and follow-up. Additionally, this guideline covers bilateral adrenal incidentalomas and pregnant women. Results: Adrenal incidentaloma is defined as a lesion greater than 1 cm localized in adrenal gland, detected by imaging studies which are requested for another different reason than an adrenal pathology suspicion. A great majority are non-functional adenomas, without life-threatening risk nor additional treatment necessity. However, there are tumoral lesions that demand appropriate management like adrenocortical carcinoma, pheochromocytoma, hormone-producing adenoma, or metastasis. Conclusions: Adrenal incidentalomas predominantly are benign masses that do not require adrenalectomy (specially in asymptomatic, unilateral, non-functioning adrenal mass), nevertheless, must be exclude other harmful pathologies. Emphatically, surgical treatment must be indicated by malignant probability, hormonal-secreting status, age, health condition, and patient's preference.

Prevalence of reported incidental adrenal findings in chest computerized tomography scans performed during the COVID-19 pandemic in a single center in Northeast Brazil

ABSTRACT Objective: We investigated the prevalence of adrenal incidentalomas (AIs) in a nonselected Brazilian population in chest computed tomography (CT) performed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional observational study using chest CT reports from a tertiary in- and outpatient radiology clinic from March to September 2020. AIs were defined by changes in the shape, size, or density of the gland initially identified in the released report. Individuals with multiple studies were included, and duplicates were removed. Exams with positive findings were reviewed by a single radiologist. Results: A total of 10,329 chest CTs were reviewed, and after duplicate removal, 8,207 exams were included. The median age was 45 years [IQR 35-59 years], and 4,667 (56.8%) were female. Thirty-eight lesions were identified in 36 patients (prevalence 0.44%). A higher prevalence was observed with age, with 94.4% of the findings in patients aged 40 years and over (RR 9.98 IC 2.39-41.58, p 0.002), but there was no significant difference between the sexes. Seventeen lesions (44.7%) had more than 10 HU, and five lesions (12.1%) were more than 4 cm. Conclusions: The prevalence of AIs in an unselected and unreviewed population in a Brazilian clinic is low. The impact on the health system caused by AIs discovered during the pandemic should be small regarding the need for specialized follow-up.

Management of primary adrenal lymphoma with intracranial invasion / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

Primary adrenal lymphoma (PAL) is a rare extranodular lymphoma. It is subject to misdiagnosis due to atypical clinical and imaging features. Histopathology is required to establish the diagnosis. Patients often present to the Endocrinology Department upon revelation of adrenal incidentalomas by imaging. PAL is often accompanied by invasion of other tissues and organs, with a high mortality rate and a poor prognosis. In this paper, the clinical features of a patient with primary adrenal lymphoma and intracranial invasion were summarized, and the pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment of this disease were reviewed.

A rare case of adrenal hemangioma: A case report

Adrenal hemangiomas are rare benign tumors arising from the endothelial cells lining the blood vessels, which are made up of angioblastic cells. They are usually identified incidentally on radiographic imaging and post-operative histopathology is usually the definitive diagnosis. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging help in the detection of silent adrenal lesions. We present a case and outline the diagnostic work-up and treatment of incidentally detected adrenal hemangioma in a 66-year-old woman.

Reporte de caso de feocromocitoma bilateral asociado a mutación del gen TMEM127. Primer caso chileno / Bilateral pheochromocytoma associates with TMEM127 gene mutation. Report of one case

Up to 40% of Pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma syndromes are associated with germline mutations. Therefore, they are considered familial and heritable. We report a 65 year old woman with hypertension, bilateral adrenal nodules found in the CT scan and elevated urinary metanephrines. Her genetic testing showed a c.117_120delGTCT TMEM127 gene mutation. She was subjected to a laparoscopic bilateral adrenal excision. After five years of follow up, no recurrence of the disease has been recorded.

Mielolipoma suprarrenal, revisión de literatura en México a propósito de dos casos / Adrenal myelolipoma, review of the literature in Mexico apropos of two cases

Introducción: los mielolipomas suprarrenales (ML) son neoplasias benignas poco frecuentes constituidas por tejido adiposo y mieloide. Clínicamente asintomáticas, suelen ser diagnosticados incidentalmente. En México existen solo 32 casos publicados de ML, presentándose en pacientes de entre 37 a 65 años, siendo la relación hombre-mujer 1:1.1, el síntoma más comúnmente reportado es dolor abdominal inespecífico, y la cirugía abierta es el principal abordaje quirúrgico empleado en nuestro país (89%). Caso clínico: presentamos una recopilación de la literatura actual sobre ML en México, además de dos casos clínicos de pacientes con ML: un hombre de 67 años con enfermedad diverticular y una mujer de 40 años con dolor en hipocondrio; en ambos se realizó resección tumoral, midiendo 9.5 cm y 13.3 cm, respectivamente. Conclusiones: presentamos dos casos nuevos en nuestro país que corresponden a incidentalomas. En ambos casos la cirugía se realizó para confirmar el diagnóstico, así como para prevenir posibles complicaciones.

Background: Adrenal myelolipomas (ML) are rare benign neoplasms compound of adipose and myeloid tissue. Clinically they are usually asymptomatic, being diagnosed generally by incident. In Mexico, there are only 32 published cases of ML, these occur between 37 and 65 years, with the male-female ratio being 1:1.1, clinically they present with abdominal or lumbar pain, open surgery being the main surgical approach (89%). Clinical case: We made a literature review of ML in Mexico and present two clinical cases: a 67-year-old man in followup for diverticular disease and a 40-year-old woman with pain in the left upper quadrant. In both cases, tumor resection was performed measuring 9.5 cm and 13.3 cm long respectively. Conclusions: We present two new cases in our country that correspond to incidentalomas. In both cases, surgery was performed to confirm the diagnosis, as well as to prevent possible complications

Clinical characteristics of rare adrenal angiomyolipoma / 中华泌尿外科杂志

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of rare adrenal angiomyolipoma.Methods:Clinical data of 5 patients with adrenal angiomyolipoma admitted to West China Hospital of Sichuan University from April 2009 to April 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 2 males and 3 females. Age ranged from 40 to 57 years old, with an average of 46.7(40-57) years old. Clinical manifestations included right upper abdominal mass in 1 case, pain in the lower back in 1 case, and no significant symptoms were found in the rest. One patient was complicated with hypertension, one patient was complicated with decreased activities of epinephrine, norepinephrine and renin activity (orthosis), and the other patients had no abnormal hormones. 2 patients underwent abdominal ultrasound with " strong echo mass in adrenal area" , and all underwent enhanced abdominal CT with " space occupying lesion in adrenal area" , which was specifically manifested as tumors with mixed density in fat, blood vessels, muscle and so on. The average tumor diameter was 5.8(2.3-9.1) cm, including 2 cases on the left, 3 cases on the right, and 1 case with renal angiomyolipoma. All patients underwent laparoscopic adrenal tumor resection.Results:All the 5 patients underwent surgical resection successfully and were diagnosed as adrenal angiomyolipoma by pathological examination of tumor specimens after surgery. There was no significant change in blood pressure level of patients with hypertension after surgery. Follow-up time was 2-7 years and no recurrence.Conclusions:Adrenal angiomyolipoma is an extremely rare benign nonfunctional disease, which is more common in middle age. Most of the patients had no clinical history and signs. The tumor has no hormone secretion function and can be basically diagnosed with CT and other imaging examinations. The final diagnosis depends on pathological examination. After operation, the prognosis of adrenal angiomyolipoma is good.

Application of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of adrenal incidentaloma / 中华检验医学杂志

With the development of diagnostic techniques, the diagnosis rate of adrenal incidental tumors is increasing. Disease related hormones can be detected to evaluate the endocrine function of tumors for diagnosis and treatment, especially by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). LC-MS/MS has the advantages of high sensitivity, specificity and multi-component, and has become the gold standard method for the detection of small molecule hormones.Mass spectrometry has advantages in the detection of glucocorticoids, halo corticoids, sex hormones and catecholamine metabolites.LC-MS/MS still has some limitations in clinical practice, which are manifested as low degree of automation and lack of standardization.After the improvement of the clinical application of LC-MS/MS and the establishment of reference scope, the clinical judgment on the endocrine function of AI will be more standardized.

Rare presentation of right Adrenal Mass: Extramedullary haematopoiesis in a patient with Thalassaemia Intermedia / Journal of the ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies

@#Extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH) is a rare cause of adrenal mass. We present a 44-year-old woman who has thalassaemia intermedia, referred to Endocrinology clinic for huge adrenal mass. Along with a paraspinal lesion discovered in this patient, the leading diagnosis was EMH. The patient was treated with hypertransfusion and hydroxyurea, which led to a reduction in the size of the right adrenal mass and paraspinal mass. This case highlights the challenges in managing this rare condition. Although EMH is a rare cause of adrenal mass, the diagnosis must be considered in any patient with a history of a congenital hemolytic disorder, to avoid unnecessary surgical procedures.

Ganglioneuroma suprarrenal gigante: Reporte de Un caso

Resumen El ganglioneuroma (Gn) es una neoplasia benigna, rara, derivada de la cresta neural, compuesta de células ganglionares maduras y células de Schwann. Solo una pequeña proporción de Gn se origina en la médula suprarrenal, siendo esta localización más frecuente en niños y adultos jóvenes. Hemos encontrado menos de 30 publicaciones reportadas en la literatura. Presentamos el caso de una paciente femenina de 37 años de edad, con dolor intermitente en fosa renal izquierda y flanco ipsilateral de 5 meses de evolución, sin otros síntomas acompañantes. Se realizó ecografía abdominal, tomografía axial computada (TAC) y resonancia magnética nuclear (RMI) abdomino pélvica, en las cuales se identificó formación expansiva solida, de 85 x 58 x 74 mm, de contornos definidos, adyacente a riñón izquierdo. Las características por imagen no permitieron descartar lesión benigna. Se realizó perfil hormonal completo para despistaje de funcionalidad. Dadas las características imagenológicas y el tamaño de la lesión, se decide tratamiento quirúrgico, considerando a feocromocitoma silente como principal diagnóstico presuntivo pre quirúrgico. La evolución postoperatoria fue excelente. Al examen microscópico, se observa proliferación nodular, de bordes delimitados, formado por células fusadas, con núcleos bipolares y citoplasmas elongados con aisladas células ganglionares. En la inmunomarcación presenta aisladas células ganglionares positivas para Cromogranina A y Sinaptofisina, proteína S100 positivo difuso, hallazgos consistentes con ganglioneuroma suprarrenal. El hallazgo de una masa suprarrenal en paciente joven, sin síntomas específicos, con características no sugestivas de adenoma, debe considerar el diagnostico de ganglioneuroma como parte de las lesiones incidentales adrenales y destacamos la importancia del diagnostico diferencial con feocromocitoma y carcinoma adrenal ya que comparten similares características imagenológicas. El tratamiento de elección es la resección quirúrgica completa, con pronóstico excelente en la mayoría de los casos.

Appendicular abscess: as a masquerader and pheochromocytoma as an incidentaloma in a 12 year old male child

A 12 year old boy presented initially with symptoms suggestive of urinary tract infection (UTI). Later, it turned out to be acute appendicitis with appendicular abscess. Pre-operative investigations revealed co-presentation of pheochromocytoma. Although this child was having no symptoms of pheochromocytoma, the presentation of phaechromocytoma with appendicular abscess needs to be dealt with extreme vigil as pheochromocytoma can result in severe sympathetic outburst storm. Laparoscopic appendicectomy was done and the child was discharged after complete recovery.

Neoplasia oncocítica adrenocortical de potencial maligno incierto: reporte de un caso / Adrenocortical oncocytic neoplasm with uncertain malignant potential: a case report

Resumen Objetivo Describir el caso clínico de una paciente con neoplasia oncocitica adrenocortical, tratado quirúrgicamente en una clínica de Lima, Perú. Caso clínico Paciente mujer de 26 años ingresa a emergencia por dolor abdominal inespecífico. Se evidencia tumoración de 15x14x12 cm dependiente de glándula suprarrenal izquierda por lo que se decide tratamiento quirúrgico. Al análisis patológico se evidencia neoplasia oncocítica de potencial maligno incierto. Discusión Las neoplasias oncocíticas adrenocorticales son entidades poco frecuentes, con escasos reportes de casos de esta enfermedad. Para clasificarlas, se usa la escala de Weiss modificada. Obtenemos una neoplasia oncocítica de potencial maligno incierto, cuyo tratamiento incluye la cirugía de resección de tumor y observación. Conclusión Considerar a las neoplasias oncocíticas dentro del diagnóstico diferencial de incidentalomas adrenales.

Objective To describe a case report of a oncocytic adrenocortical neoplasm, treated surgically in a clinic in Lima, Peru. Case report A 26-year-old woman is admitted to the emergency due to nonspecific abdominal pain. A tumor measuring 15x14x12 cm dependent on left adrenal gland is evidenced, so surgical treatment is decided. Pathological analysis evidences oncocytic neoplasia of uncertain malignant potential. Discussion Oncocytic adrenocortical neoplasms are rare entities, with few case reports of this disease. To classify them, the modified Weiss scale is used. We obtain an oncocytic neoplasm of uncertain malignant potential, whose treatment includes surgery for tumor resection and observation. Conclusion Consider oncocytic neoplasms within the differential diagnosis of adrenal incidentalomas.

Is Follow-up of Adrenal Incidentalomas Always Mandatory?

Adrenal masses are mainly detected unexpectedly by an imaging study performed for reasons unrelated to any suspect of adrenal diseases. Such masses are commonly defined as “adrenal incidentalomas” and represent a public health challenge because they are increasingly recognized in current medical practice. Management of adrenal incidentalomas is currently matter of debate. Although there is consensus on the need of a multidisciplinary expert team evaluation and surgical approach in patients with significant hormonal excess and/or radiological findings suspicious of malignancy demonstrated at the diagnosis or during follow-up, the inconsistency between official guidelines and the consequent diffuse uncertainty on management of small adrenal incidentalomas still represents a considerable problem in terms of clinical choices in real practice. The aim of the present work is to review the proposed strategies on how to manage patients with adrenal incidentalomas that are not candidates to immediate surgery. The recent European Society of Endocrinology/European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumors guidelines have supported the view to avoid surveillance in patients with clear benign adrenal lesions <4 cm and/or without any hormonal secretion; however, newer prospective studies are needed to confirm safety of this strategy, in particular in younger patients.

Limited significance of repeated long-term radiological and hormonal examination in nonfunctioning adrenal incidentalomas

ABSTRACT Purpose: The purposes of the present study were to evaluate growth rate of nonfunctioning adrenal incidentalomas (AIs) and their development to hormonal hypersecretion on follow-up. Materials and methods: A retrospective study was conducted from the electronic medical records. A total of 314 patients were diagnosed with adrenal tumors between 2000 and 2016. After excluding patients who had overt adrenal endocrine disorders or whose adrenal tumors were clinically diagnosed as metastatic malignancies, we investigated 108 patients with nonfunctioning AIs including characteristics, the treatment, the way of follow-up and pathology. Results: Fifteen patients received immediate adrenalectomy because of the initial tumor size or patient's preference. Pathological examination revealed malignancy in 2 patients. In the remaining 93 patients, radiological examinations were performed periodically. Tumor enlargement of ≥ 1.0cm was observed in 8.6% of the patients who were followed up as nonfunctioning AIs with a median follow-up period of 61.5 months (range: 4-192). Eleven patients underwent adrenalectomy. On the pathological examinations, all of the tumors, which showed a size increase, were diagnosed as benign tumors. Regarding the followed up patients without adrenalectomy, only 2.4% of the patients had tumor enlargement during the prolonged follow-up. Furthermore, none of the patients developed hormonal hypersecretion or clinical signs such as obesity, glucose intolerance or poorly controlled hypertension. Conclusions: Tumor enlargement of AIs did not correlate with malignancy. The value of repeat radiological and hormonal examinations may be limited in the long-term follow-up of patients whose AIs are not enlarged.

The relationship between positron emission tomography-computed tomography imaging and histopathological features of thyroid incidentalomas detected during follow-up for primary malignancy

Aim of the Study: While the rate of thyroid incidentaloma detected on positron emission tomography (PET) was reported as 4%, the malignancy rate was 14%–50%. We evaluated the thyroid nodules which were detected by PET-computerized tomography (CT) in cancer patients and analyzed the pathological results of those thyroid nodules diagnosed by fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) and their correlation with the maximum standardized uptake (SUVmax) value and PET imaging features. Materials and Methods: FNAB were performed for 40 thyroid incidentalomas. We analyzed the relationship between the histopathological findings and radiological features by Pearson's correlations and Chi-square-Fisher's exact tests to evaluate the factors associated with SUVmax. Results: The median SUVmax values were 5.4 for thyroid nodules. Totally, 14 malignancies were detected by FNAB (35%).The sensitivity and specificity of SUVmax value for diagnosis of malignancy were 87.5% and 52%, respectively. Positive and negative predictive values were 36.8% and 92.8%. The most common malignant and benign pathologies were classic variant papillary carcinoma and benign colloidal nodule. The median SUVmax was the higher in colon cancer thyroid metastasis and oncocytic neoplasia (SUVmax 14.5 and 13.6, respectively). Histopathological type was not related with nodule size but positively associated with categorical SUVmax(r = 0.318, P = 0.04) and negatively correlated with both the density of the thyroid nodule in PET-CT (r = −0.0042, P = 0.01) and density of nodule in ultrasound (USG) (r = −0.305, P = 0.05). Margin of the thyroid nodule in USG (P = 0.007) and internal component of the nodule in PET (P = 0.03) were found to be important factors to differentiate benign or malignant lesion. Conclusion: If the thyroid nodule is detected with flouro-2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake, to differentiate benign nodule from malignant, cytological examination is noteworthy to diagnose the more aggressive type of thyroid nodule and also thyroid metastasis from primary cancer

Analysis of risk factors for intraoperative hemodynamic instability in adrenal incident pheochromocytoma / 中华泌尿外科杂志

Objective To evaluate the risk factors for intraoperative hemodynamic instability (HI) in patients with adrenal incident pheochromocytoma.Methods Perioperative clinical parameters of patients undergoing surgery for adrenal incident pheochromocytoma at the First Hospital of Peking University from January 2001 to July 2018 were analyzed.There were 39 males and 41 females,with mean age of 45.1 years (13-76 years old).The median tumor length was 5.1 cm (1.5-14.0 cm),with 25 cases (31.3％) on the left side,55 cases (68.8％) on the right side.There were 37 cases combined with coronary heart disease or diabetes or BMI≥24 kg/m2.Patients were divided into hemodynamic instability (HI group) and hemodynamic stability group (HS group) by whether intraoperative hemodynamic instability occurred.The differences of demographic characteristics and clinical parameters between the two groups were compared.Logistic regression analysis was done for seeking the risk factors for hemodynamic instability during surgery.Results There were 54 cases (67.5％) in the HS group and 26 cases (32.5％) in the HI group.Univariate analysis showed that there was no significant difference in age [(44.06 ± 13.58) years old vs.(47.35 ± 16.11) years old],combined with coronary heart disease or diabetes or BMI≥24 kg/m2 [50.0％(27/54) vs.38.5％ (10/26)],tumor long diameter [median 5.0 cm(1.5-14.0 cm) vs.6.0cm(1.5-13.5 cm)],tumor location [left:29.6％ (16/54) vs.34.6％ (9/26)],preoperative catecholamine test positive [44.4％ (20/45) vs.50.0％ (10/20)],open surgery [27.8％ (15/54) vs.34.6％ (9/26)]and preoperative non-alpha blockers[13.0％ (7/54) vs.30.8％ (8/26)] between HS group and HI group (P ＞ 0.05).Further logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors of intraoperative hemodynamic instability.Multivariate analysis found that patients who preoperative non-alpha blockers before surgery were independent risk factor for HI (OR =4.574,95 ％ CI 1.273-16.432,P =0.020).Conclusions Preoperative non-alpha blocker in patients with adrenal incidental pheochromocytoma could be independent risk factor for intraoperative hemodynamic instability.Therefore,it is recommended that patients with adrenal incidental tumors,especially those who fail to rule out pheochromocytoma,take preoperative alpha blockers.