Extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma arising from an accessory adrenal

ABSTRACT

Reported here is a case of pheochromocytoma arising from an accessory adrenal gland. This tumor did not have significant clinical symptoms related to pheochromocytoma. The chief complaint was intermittent left upper quadrant pain. Scintigraphy of the abdomen identified normal bilateral adrenal glands, and a 56×63 mm tumor, adjacent the distal part of pancreas. The resected tumor was located between pancreas and spleen and was composed of normal adrenalortical tissue and pheochromocytoma. Immunohistoche-mical staining of tumor for KI67, chromogranin A, NSE, S100 and AE1 was positive. Pheochromocytomas, arising from an accessory adrenal gland, may lack some of the typical characteristics of such tumors and have rarely been reported