Synonyms
Ectopic adrenal tissue
Definition
An adrenal rest anywhere along the gonadal descent, usually without accompanying medullary tissue (Saeger 2018).
Clinical Features
Incidence
Often identified incidentally during autopsy (20% of postmortem examination).
Age
No age preference.
Sex
Both male and female.
Site
Along the gonadal descent, in particular kidney, hilum of ovary (Figs. 1 and 2) or testes, and along course of spermatic cord.
Treatment
No treatment is required, unless it becomes hyperplastic or malignant in patients with primary or secondary adrenal pathology.
Outcome
The tissue usually has no clinical significance, but it may become hyperplastic or malignant in patients with primary or secondary adrenal pathology.
Adrenal cortical cell nest in the hilum of ovary
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Saeger, W. (2018). Ectopia of the adrenal. Pathologe, 39(5), 409–414.
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Cimadamore, A., Doria, A., Montironi, R. (2020). Adrenal Cortical Rests. In: Raspollini, M.R., Lopez-Beltran, A. (eds) Uropathology. Encyclopedia of Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41894-6_4778
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41894-6_4778
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Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
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Online ISBN: 978-3-030-41894-6
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