title: Management of adrenal incidentaloma.
abstract: Improvements in medical imaging have resulted in the incidental discovery of many silent and unrecognized adrenal tumors. The term "adrenal incidentaloma" (AI) is applied to any adrenal mass≥1cm in its longest axis that is discovered incidentally during abdominal imaging that was not performed to specifically evaluate adrenal pathology. These incidentalomas may be either secretory or non-secretory, benign or malignant. Distinctive characteristics of these lesions must be determined by the clinician to determine appropriate management. Such distinctions are based on laboratory findings and imaging, principally CT with and without contrast injection. Investigations must be carefully chosen to avoid ordering unnecessary and expensive tests for too many patients while, at the same time, avoiding the risk of failing to diagnose a secreting malignant or tumor. These examinations will determine patient care: surgery or surveillance. When simple surveillance is chosen, specific criteria must be met with regard to diagnostic modalities (clinical, imaging, laboratory testing) and its duration.
authors.affiliation: Service de chirurgie générale, viscérale et endocrinienne, hôpital de la Pitié-Salpetrière, 47, boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France. Electronic address: fabrice.menegaux@psl.aphp.fr.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Menegaux
authors.affiliation: Service de chirurgie générale, viscérale et endocrinienne, hôpital de la Pitié-Salpetrière, 47, boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chéreau
authors.affiliation: Service de chirurgie générale et endocrinienne, centre hospitalier Lyon Sud, 69495 Pierre-Bénite, France.
authors.forename: J-L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Peix
authors.affiliation: Service de chirurgie générale, digestive et endocrinienne, CHU de Limoges, 87000 Limoges, France.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Christou
authors.affiliation: Service de chirurgie générale et endocrinienne, centre hospitalier Lyon Sud, 69495 Pierre-Bénite, France.
authors.forename: J-C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lifante
authors.affiliation: Service de chirurgie générale et endocrinienne, hôpital de la Timone, 13385 Marseille, France.
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Paladino
authors.affiliation: Service de chirurgie générale et endocrinienne, hôpital de la Timone, 13385 Marseille, France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sebag
authors.affiliation: Institut endocrinologie, hôpital de la Pitié-Salpetrière, 75013 Paris, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ghander
authors.affiliation: Service de chirurgie générale, viscérale et endocrinienne, hôpital de la Pitié-Salpetrière, 47, boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Trésallet
authors.affiliation: Service de chirurgie générale, digestive et endocrinienne, CHU de Limoges, 87000 Limoges, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mathonnet
mesh_terms: D019797:3-Iodobenzylguanidine; D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D001706:Biopsy; D003348:Cortisone / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D033162:Incidental Findings; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D019797:3-Iodobenzylguanidine; D003348:Cortisone
keywords: Adrenal; Diagnosis; Incidentaloma; Treatment