The Interrenal Syndrome in Childhood

A Form of Lipoidosis of the Adrenal Cortex in an Infant

“…This is associated with an adrenogenital syndrome whose histological findings are described by Allibone, Baar and Cant (1947). The adrenal in this syndrome shows no similarity to the condition described above, and in the present case also there was no masculinization or pseudo-hermaphroditism.…”

“…No similar case is recorded in the bibliography of the physiology and pathology of the newborn for the period 1930-40 compiled by Antonov (1947) Recently the syndrome of neonatal cortical insufficiency has been described by numerous authors, e.g., Butler, Ross and Talbot (1939), Thelander and Cholffin (1941) and Jaudon (1948). This is associated with an adrenogenital syndrome whose histological findings are described by Allibone, Baar and Cant (1947). The adrenal in this syndrome shows no similarity to the condition described above, and in the present case also there was no masculinization or pseudo-hermaphroditism.…”

Two Cases of Adrenal Hyperplasia with Adrenal Cortical Insufficiency

“…Jacobsen et al (1949) says 52 that the maternal hormone output is normal but gives no references. Premature ossification of the carpal bones may occur (Wilkins et al, 1940;Darrow, 1943-4), but is not invariable and was absent in our first case and in two cases of Allibone et al (1947). No radiographs were taken of our second case.…”

“…Wilkins et al (1940) considered that the cortex in their case was distorted by the replacement of the normal zones by masses of androgenic cells of the prenatal reticular type. Blackman (1946) believed that there was hyperplasia of reticular cortex of adult type, and Allibone et al (1947) found variations between different cases, some having a well-marked reticular zone of adult type and others a hyperplastic transient cortex. These findings suggest that both the foetal and adult types of zona reticularis produce androgens.…”

“…The differentiation of these cells is not satisfactory although Broster and Vines (1933) have claimed to distinguish androgenic cells by staining granules in their cytoplasm by the Ponceau-fuchsin technique. The specificity of this has been upheld by several observers (Allibone et al, 1947;Zuelzer and Blum, 1949), whereas others consider that it merely reflects the degree of eosinophilia and the lack of lipoids in the cytoplasm (Wilkins et al, 1940;Sudds, 1940;Flynn, 1942).…”