Ectopic adrenal gland in an adult inguinal hernial sac: A case report

Alimoradi, Mersad; El-Helou, Etienne; Sabra, Hassan; Azaki, Rawan; Khairallah, Mayssaloun; Matta, Nazem

doi:10.1016/j.ijscr.2020.05.047

Cited by 7 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The presence of adrenal remnants away from the normally expected site of glands has been documented a long time ago and was first described by Morgagni himself in the 18th century [ 1 ]. Adrenal remnants are often discovered in the genitourinary system during early childhood in both sexes, more frequently in males, most of them being located in the groin region [ 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]. Other reported settlement areas for ectopic adrenal rests are the kidney, liver, pancreas, colon, celiac plexus, placenta, ovary and retroperitoneal area [ 5 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These remnants usually consist exclusively of cortical cells, lacking any medullary cells of the normal adrenal, which can be explained by the different embryological origin of the two components [ 3 , 11 ]. There are two different primordia of separate origin: the cortex is derived from the mesoderm and the medulla from chromaffin neuroectodermal cells of the neural crest [ 1 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are two different primordia of separate origin: the cortex is derived from the mesoderm and the medulla from chromaffin neuroectodermal cells of the neural crest [ 1 ]. During embryonic development they merge into a single unit [ 3 ]. Over the course of this time small fragments of the cortex can be entrapped in the descending gonads and engulfed in the developing organs [ 11 , 12 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Over the course of this time small fragments of the cortex can be entrapped in the descending gonads and engulfed in the developing organs [ 11 , 12 ]. These remnants most of the time become atrophic and disappear until adolescence, because the normal functioning adrenal glands decrease their hormonal stimulation [ 3 , 12 ]. However, these structures may exceptionally escape this rule and acquire hyperplastic, hyperfunctioning or even neoplastic potential [ 5 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ectopias of the adrenal gland, and especially of its cortex, are mostly reported during childhood and may be encountered in association with pelvic structures, usually those of the genitourinary system, and usually in males [ 2 , 3 ]. Adrenal cortical rests occur in 50 per cent of new-borns and usually regress and disappear within a few years [ 3 ], but they may remain and persist as functioning tissue throughout adulthood [ 1 ]. Εctopic adrenal tissue is generally rarely observed and is usually a random finding [ 2 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Adrenal Cortical Rests in the Fallopian Tube: Report of a Case and Review of the Literature

Tzigkalidis¹,

Skandalou²,

Μanthou³

et al. 2021

Medicines

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We report an extremely unusual finding discovered incidentally during a routine pathologic evaluation of a fallopian tube, surgically removed on the grounds of ectopic pregnancy. We came across a minute yellowish nodule situated within the wall of the salpinx, which corresponded to ectopic adrenal cortex, as verified by microscopical examination, and coexisted with salpingitis isthmica nodosa. A research of the available English literature on this subject confirmed the rareness of the entity we encountered. This case is presented because of its uniqueness, aiming to raise awareness of a rare condition which is discussed along with potential diagnostic dilemmas, its prognostic significance, and possible complications.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Adrenal Cortical Rests in the Fallopian Tube: Report of a Case and Review of the Literature

Tzigkalidis¹,

Skandalou²,

Μanthou³

et al. 2021

Medicines

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Adrenal Rests in the Uro-genital Tract of an Adult Population

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ectopic adrenal rests are a rare condition which can be found in various sites, generally in the retroperitoneum or pelvis along the path of gonadal descent. Their real prevalence is unknown. Males are more commonly affected, at least in the pediatric age. Adrenal rests are usually clinically silent and incidentally found in surgical samples, mostly in the pediatric population, and rarely in adults. With the aim of increasing knowledge and estimating the prevalence of ectopic adrenocortical tissue in the adult population, 44 adrenal rests in the urogenital tract of 40 adults are described. These represent approximately 0.07% of the total number of urogenital and gynecological surgeries performed in the 22 considered years. Adrenal rests were identified in the spermatic cord (10 males) and in paraovarian, parasalpingeal, or infundibulopelvic ligament locations (30 females). All but one was incidental findings. One case regarded an adrenocortical carcinoma arisen in adrenal rests. A literature review of adrenal ectopia in the urogenital tract of adults identified 57 reported cases from 53 patients, with similar clinicopathological features as those of our series, with the exception of a lower incidence of parasalpingeal locations. Despite their limited clinical implications, awareness of ectopic adrenal rests is essential also in adults for at least two reasons: (a) to correctly identify sources of adrenocortical hormone production in case of adrenal insufficiency or hormonal imbalance and (b) to avoid misinterpretations in the diagnostic workup of renal cell carcinoma, adrenocortical tumors, and rare gonadal neoplasms, including Sertoli/Leydig cell tumors.

show abstract