A normally-virilized 24-year-old white man who had gynecomastia was found to have a Leydig-cell tumor of the testis, without demonstrable metastases. Hormonal evaluation revealed negative serum and urine tests for human chorionic gonadotropin, and normal steroid excretion. Prior to orchiectomy, serum estradiol was elevated and serum testosterone depressed; postoperatively these values reverted to normal. Attempts to quantitative the estradiol content of the tumor failed to show a significant increase over normal testicular tissue, however. Histologically, the tumor showed classic Reinke crystalloids, the nature of which remains undefined. Electron-microscopic studies showed these crystals to have a regular hexagonal pattern.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.