TUMORS OF THE ADRENAL GLANDS

Abstract

The most important element in the diagnosis of an endocrine disease is the demonstration of an anatomically abnormal gland. Recognition of disorders of the thyroid, for example, has been facilitated by the ease with which the gland can be palpated in the neck or visualized by the roentgen rays if it is in the mediastinum. The presence of a tumor of the adrenal gland may not be demonstrable by palpation, displacement of the kidney or roentgen visualization unless the growth is of considerable size. Any method offering greater precision in the recognition of an adrenal tumor early in its history warrants further study. Periadrenal insufflation of air at present yields the most promising diagnostic possibilities. Its technic forms the basis of this study. There are three clinical syndromes associated with hyperfunctioning tumors of the adrenal cortex, namely, virilism, basophilism and (in the male) feminization. Recognition of these syndromes is easy