title: Giant bilateral symptomatic adrenal myelolipomas associated with congenital adrenal hyperplasia.
abstract: Adrenal myelolipoma is an uncommon, benign, biochemically non-functioning and endocrinologically inactive tumor composed of variable amounts of mature adipose tissue and scattered islands of haemopoietic elements, including erythroid, myeloid and lymphoid series, as well as megakaryocytes. Diagnosis of myelolipomas is based on imaging, with ultrasonography, CT and MRI being effective in more than 90% of cases. Differential diagnosis includes other containing fat adrenal masses such as teratoma, lipoma and liposarcoma. The optimal treatment depends on the size and symptoms of the myelolipoma. For incidentally discovered, asymptomatic adrenal myelolipomas smaller than 4 cm surveillance seems to be enough while symptomatic, complicated, hormonally active and larger than 7 cm myelolipomas, should be surgically removed. We present a case of giant bilateral symptomatic adrenal myelolipomas associated with congenital adrenal hyperplasia. A 34 year old female, with congenital adrenal hyperplasia because of 21-hydroxylase deficiency, presented with diffuse abdominal pain and vomiting. Physical examination revealed hirsutism, pronounced virilization and palpable masses both on the right and left abdominal area. The abdominal CT demonstrated bilateral large masses in the anatomical position of the adrenal glands with densities indicating adipose tissue. The differential diagnosis was between myelolipoma and liposarcoma. For diagnostic and also therapeutical reasons, as the masses were large and symptomatic and causing pressure to the surrounding structures, the patient was submitted to laparotomy for bilateral excision. Histopathological examination established the diagnosis of adrenal myelolipoma.
authors.affiliation: First Surgical Department, General Regional Hospital George Papanikolaou, Thessaloniki, Greece. telonakos@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Orestis
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ioannidis
authors.forename: Styliani
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Papaemmanouil
authors.forename: Stavros
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chatzopoulos
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paraskevas
authors.forename: Athina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Konstantara
authors.forename: Anastasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kotronis
authors.forename: Emmanouil
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kakoutis
authors.forename: Apostolos
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Makrantonakis
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D000312:Adrenal Hyperplasia, Congenital / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D018209:Myelolipoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D011379:Prognosis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed