Black adrenal adenoma causing subclinical Cushing’s syndrome complicated with pheochromocytoma

Abstract

The development of adrenocortical adenoma and pheochromocytoma within the same adrenal gland is very rare. Furthermore, no reports have described coincident black adrenal adenoma and pheochromocytoma. We herein report a rare case of coincident black adrenal adenoma and pheochromocytoma in the same adrenal gland. Case presentation: A 71-year-old Japanese woman was hospitalized because a right adrenal tumor had been incidentally found by computed tomography. She was diagnosed with subclinical Cushing's syndrome and underwent laparoscopic right adrenalectomy. The tumor contained two adrenal nodules. The cut surface of the larger nodule was brownish-black on macroscopic examination. Pathological studies revealed coincident black adrenal adenoma and pheochromocytoma. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of coincident black adrenal adenoma causing subclinical Cushing's syndrome and pheochromocytoma in the same adrenal gland. The mechanism of this rare scenario is unclear, and further study is necessary.

Dual-energy spectral detector computed tomography differential diagnosis of adrenal adenoma and pheochromocytoma: Changes in the energy level curve, a phenomenon caused by lipid components?

“…Pheochromocytoma originating from the sympathetic nerve can cause patients to have significantly unstable blood pressure changes through the secretion of catecholamines (2). According to previous literature reports, there are also different types of adrenal masses growing on the same side/different side of a single patient and even the occurrence of collision tumours (3,4).…”

Changed Diabetic Treatment from Multiple Daily Injection (MDI), Dulaglutide to Xultophy

“…She has been treated for hypertension for a long. Her usual situation of blood pressure was stable with medication, not a fluctuating type, not clinical symptoms like pheochromocytoma, and catecholamine levels were within the normal range [27]. Since Cushing's disease is also negative, it is considered to be essential hypertension rather than secondary hypertension.…”