Nonfunctioning adrenal masses: incidental discovery on computed tomography

TLDR

Sixteen adrenal masses were incidentally detected by CT in patients without clinical or biochemical evidence of adrenal disease. The study proposes a management plan for incidental nonfunctioning adrenal masses identified on CT. The authors propose a management plan derived from CT imaging characteristics. Five patients underwent adrenalectomy revealing adenoma or nodular hyperplasia, one autopsy disclosed a cortical adenoma, and the remaining ten masses showed no change over 4–16 months of follow‑up.

Abstract

Sixteen adrenal masses were identified with computed tomography (CT) in patients who had no clinical or biochemical evidence of adrenal pathology. In five patients, an adrenalectomy was performed, disclosing either an adenoma or nodular hyperplasia. Autopsy disclosed a cortical adenoma in one patient who died from unrelated causes. In the remaining 10 patients, follow-up scans 4--16 months later revealed no change in the size of the masses. A management plan of nonfunctioning adrenal masses discovered incidentally on CT is proposed.