J Korean Endocr Soc.  2007 Aug;22(4):260-265. 10.3803/jkes.2007.22.4.260.

Clinical Characteristics for 132 Patients with Adrenal Incidentaloma

• Jeong HS
• Kim HJ
• Kim HS
• Kim SW
• Shin CS
• Park DJ
• Park KS
• Jang HC
• Kim SY
• Cho BY
• Lee HK

• KMID: 2063535
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3803/jkes.2007.22.4.260

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Recently, the detection rate for adrenal incidentaloma in Korea has been on the increase. We describe here the clinical characteristics of these tumors and describe appropriate guidelines of diagnosis and treatment.
METHODS
We analyzed age, sex, location, size, function, and the pathological findings for 132 patients with an adrenal mass by CT, USG, and MRI undertaken for health examinations or non-adrenal disease from January 2000 to March 2005.
RESULTS
Adrenal masses were most commonly found in patients in their sixties (31%). 62.1% of the patients were men and 37.9% were women. For the location of the masses, 53% were found in the left gland, 43.2% were found in the right gland and 3.8% were found in both glands. Of all of the masses analyzed, 66% were 1 cm to 4 cm in size, and an adenoma-like appearance was the most common finding (69.7%) seen in images. All of the pheochromocytomas and carcinomas were above 4 cm in size. Patients with a functional mass were seen in 18 cases (13.6%) and pheochromocytomas were seen in 12 cases (67%). Three patients were found with cancer (2.3%), two cases (1.5%) of a primary carcinoma and one case of a metastasis (0.8%).
CONCLUSION
The frequency and characteristics of benign nonfunctional, functional and malignant masses that were found in our hospital were similar to those presented in studies conducted outside of Korea. Therefore, it may be possible to apply previously established guidelines to domestic patients.

Keyword

Adrenal incidentaloma; Clinincal Characterisitics

MeSH Terms

Diagnosis
Female
Humans
Korea
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Neoplasm Metastasis
Pheochromocytoma

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Distribution of functional mass. *HT, Hypertension.

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