Diagnosis and Treatment of Adrenal Black Adenoma：Report of 7 Cases / 中国微创外科杂志

Objective To explore the diagnosis and treatment of adrenal black adenoma . Methods From June 2002 to July 2014, 7 patients with adrenal tumors were treated with retroperitoneal laparoscopic partial adrenalectomy in our hospital .During the operation all the patients were placed in healthy lateral decubitus position .Three trocars were introduced into the lumbar region:below the 12th rib along the anterior and posterior axillary lines , and 2 cm beyond superior iliac spine on the middle axillary line .The retroperitoneal space was established with homemade balloon-expanding devices .Afterwards , the tumors were removed by using a harmonic scalpel. Results All the tumors were resected completely .The average operation time was 60 min (range, 34-90 min) and the average blood loss in the operation was 70 ml (range, 20 -200 ml) without blood transfusion.The drainage tubes were removed on the 3rd or 4th postoperative day and the patients were discharged on the 6th or 7th postoperative day .They were pathologically diagnosed as adrenal black adenoma . Two patients manifested the Cushing ’ s syndrome and 3 patients showed hypertension , all of which were recovered to normal postoperatively .No recurrence or metastasis was noted during a follow-up for 12-24 months (mean, 18 months). Conclusions Adrenal black adenoma, without specific clinical features, is a rare kind of adrenocortical adenoma .The confirmative diagnosis depends on pathological results .Retroperitoneal laparoscopic surgery is a minimally invasive, safe and effective technique for adrenal black adenoma , which provides favorable prognosis .

Adenoma negro de la glándula suprarrenal (black adenoma) / Black adrenal adenoma

Introduction: the black adenoma is a rare tumor of the adrenal gland. Clinical case: a male patient treated for lung carcinoma, was found to have an incidental adrenal mass. Due to a suspicious of metastatic disease, a laparoscopic adrenalectomy was done. The biopsy showed a black adenoma. After 11 years of follow-up, there is no evidence of recurrence. Conclusion: the black adenoma of the adrenal gland is a rare, benign and non-functioning tumor. The accurate diagnosis is done only by histological studies.

Introducción: el adenoma negro de la glándula suprarrenal, o black adenoma, es una patología de baja frecuencia dentro las masas suprarrenales. Caso clínico: presentamos el caso de un paciente tratado por un cáncer pulmonar, con el diagnóstico incidental de una masa suprarrenal izquierda que requirió extirpación laparoscópica por la sospecha de metástasis. La biopsia confirmó la presencia de un adenoma negro. El paciente se encuentra vivo 11 años después. Conclusión: el adenoma negro es un tumor suprarrenal raro, benigno, no funcionante, cuyo diagnóstico es solamente histológico.

Unolateral Aldosterone-producing Adenoma with a Contralateral Black Adenoma / 대한내분비학회지

Primary aldosteronism due to unilateral adenoma is a rare cause of surgically curable hypertension. Bilateral adrenal mass has occasionally been reported in this syndrome, and bilateral aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA), or bilateral adrenal nodular hyperplasia have been demonstrated in some cases. However, another possibility is the coexistence of a unilateral APA with a contralateral benign or metastatic nonfunctioning mass, because adrenal tumors are frequently found at autopsy or incidentally detected during abdominal morphological evaluation in patients without adrenal dysfunction. A 39 year-old woman presented with hyperaldosteronism, suppressed renin levels, and bilateral adrenal mass on adrenal CT scanning. Selective adrenal venous sampling was unsuccessful in demonstrating concentration gradient of aldosterone. Postoperative measurement of hormone content in the tumor extract revealed unilateral aldosteron-producing adenoma with contralateral nonfunctioning black adenoma, Determination of hormone content in the tumor extract could be useful for the discrimination of functioning and nonfunctioning endocrine tumors, particularly in case of multiple tumors.

Two Cases of Black Adenoma of the Adrenal Cortex Associated with Cushing's Syndrome

Black adenoma is known to be a rare variant of adrenal cortical adenoma containing characteristic abundant lipofuscin pigments in the cytoplasm. Almost all of them are nonfunctioning and only occasionally they are associated with Cushing's syndrome or primary hyperaldosteronism. We present two cases of black cortical adenoma of the adrenal gland associated with Cushing's syndrome in a 24-year-old woman and a 64-year-old man. This report dealt with clinical and pathologic presentation including ultrastructural identification of lipofuscin pigment.