Case report of primary pigmented nodular adrenocortical disease and literature review / 中华泌尿外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the clinical features and the management of primary pigmented nodular adrenocortical disease PPNAD) and to evaluate its relationship with Carney complex. Methods One case of PPNAD reported. The patient was a 52 years oldmale. He was hospitalized because of hypertension for one year. The patient had a Cushing's face with elevated plasma and urine cortisone levels which could not be suppressed by both low dose and high dose dexamethasone tests. Ultrasonography howed normal bilateral adrenal glands. CT scan found a 1.6 cm × 2.0 cm mass in the left adrenal gland and normal on tralateral adrenal gland. Results The patient had accepted left laparoscopic adrenalectomy. The pathological examination onfirmed the diagnosis of PPNAD. Micro scopic study showed that there were black-gray spots in the center of the specimen. Hyperplasia was found in all the three adrenal zones. Lipofuscin was observed in the cytoplasm of reticular zone cells. The patient's blood pressure had returned to normal level after the surgery. Conclusions PPNAD is a rare type of ypercortisolism. As there is no specific feature in clinical manifestation and radiological examination of this disease, it is very easy to make a misdiagnosis in clinical practice. PPNAD itself can be the comorbidity of Carney complex, careful differentiation is needed.