Fine needle aspiration of myelolipoma of the adrenal gland. Report of a case with computed tomography.
Myelolipoma, a rare benign tumor of the adrenal gland composed of adipose tissue and hemopoietic elements, is usually asymptomatic and described as an incidental finding at autopsy. Computed tomographic (CT) body scans revealed radiographic evidence of myelolipoma, i.e., low-density masses with calcification, in a patient with a known squamous-cell carcinoma of the lung. These nonspecific findings, described in a variety of other tumors involving the adrenal gland, were confirmed by CT-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy. While the routine use of FNA biopsies of the adrenal gland in patients who do not have cancer remains controversial, it is mandatory to biopsy any masses in the adrenal gland in patients who have cancer; this case illustrates the value of CT-guided FNA biopsy in rendering a diagnosis of myelolipoma of the adrenal gland.
D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008067:Lipoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed