Abstract:

Objective To explore the clinical characteristics of nonneoplastic cystic lesions such as adrenal cysts and hematomas. Methods One thousand two hundred and fifty samples of adrenal masses resected by Department of Urology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine between January 2000 and October 2009 were retrospectively analysed, and 46 (3.68%) of the cases were confirmed as simple adrenal cysts or hematomas by pathological examinations, and were further analysed. All patients underwent endocrinal examinations and imaging examinations such as B ultrasound, CT, MRI and plain abdominal radiograph plus intravenous pyelography before operation, and pathological diagnosis was made after operation. Results There were no abnormal findings in endocrinal examinations before operation in 46 patients. Thirty cases (65.2%) were diagnosed as adrenal cysts by imaging diagnosis before operation, while the other 16 cases were undetermined. The size of masses ranged between 3.0 cm×2.5 cm to 7.6 cm×8.7 cm. Forty-one patients underwent simple mass resection, and 5 patients experienced mass resection plus partial adrenalectomy. Patients were followed up for 8 months to 9.5 years, and no recurrence was observed. Conclusion Most simple adrenal cysts can be defined by clinical, radiological and laboratory examinations before operation, while some adrenal cysts and hematomas may be wrongly diagnosed as adrenal tumors. The exploration for symptomatic adrenal cystic lesions is needed, and cystic lesions without confirmation should be taken as pheochromocytomas in preparation before operation.

Key words: adrenal gland, nonneoplastic cystic lesion, cyst, hematoma