Endocrine Abstracts

Adrenal incidentaloma (AI) is an adrenal mass discovered accidentally during abdominal or chest imaging techniques not aimed to adrenal gland assessment. Guidelines suggested confirming the benignity of AI radiologically and excluding hormonal dysfunctions. This study was designed to evaluate the clinical, endocrinological and histological characteristics of adrenal incidentalomas (AI).

Methods

Retrospective study of patient addressed to the endocrinology department at Algiers Hospital (Bologhine) for assessment of an incidentaloma from 2014 to 2018. In all, sixty patients were followed, involving 45 females and 15 males.

Results

Means age of population is 52 ± 30 years. Endocrinological evaluations demonstrated that 45% of total AI were non-functioning adenomas, 18% are cortisol production adenoma, including 13% with subclinical Cushing’s syndrome. 15% as pheochromocytomas, and 1.66% as aldosterone-producing adenomas. The mean nodule size of AI based on computed tomography was 3.7 cm. 60% of the nodules are size under 4 cm, 11% size between 4 and 6 cm, and 28% upper 6 cm. it is noted that 88% of pheochromocytomas and 100% of adrenal carcinoma have a size of more than 4 cm. When to Compared to non-functioning adenomas (NFAs), tumor diameters were significantly larger in adrenocortical carcinomas (ACCs), pheochromocytomas, cortisol-producing adenomas (CPAs), myelolipomas, cysts, (P < 0.01).

Conclusion

The occurrence of incidentally discovered adrenocortical carcinomas and pheochromocytomas is not rare. These data shows that an endocrine evaluation should be performed in all adrenal incidentalomas and Evaluation of the mass size and CT characteristics are asimple and effective methods to differentiate malignant lesions.