[Adrenal involvement in renal carcinoma. Diagnostic value of computerized tomography].
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the sensitivity and specificity of computed tomography (CT) in the detection of ipsilateral involvement of the adrenal glands by renal cancer.


METHODS
We reviewed 350 cases of radical nephrectomy for renal cancer; the adrenal gland had been removed during nephrectomy in 185 cases.


RESULTS
Histology confirmed adrenal gland involvement from renal cancer in 9 cases, namely 4 metastatic nodules and 5 cases of direct tumor invasion. Adrenal involvement was identified by preoperative CT in 3 cases only: the gland was undetectable in 2 of them, being masked by a large tumor mass, while it appeared normal on CT images in the 4 patients with metastatic nodules.


CONCLUSIONS
An adrenal gland appearing normal during preoperative CT assessment of renal cancer is not very likely to be involved by cancer (2.4% of cases in our series), while a gland missed at CT is very likely involved because it may be masked by a large tumor.
Saggin
P
P
Servizio di Radiologia, Casa di Cura Villa Berica, Vicenza.
Prati
G
G
Montemezzi
S
S
D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D000315:Adrenalectomy; D000368:Aged; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009392:Nephrectomy; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Coinvolgimento surrenalico nel carcinoma renale. Valore diagnostico della Tomografia Computerizzata.