A giant lymphatic cyst of the adrenal gland: report of a rare case and review of the literature.

Abstract

Lymphatic type of adrenal cysts is most common; however, this type of endothelial cyst is quite rare in excessively large adrenal cysts. A 37-year-old Japanese woman was admitted to our institution with distension of her left flank and the upper quadrant of her abdomen. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed a cystic lesion with a homogenous anechoic texture, and measuring 21 cm in diameter. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging displayed a giant cystic lesion adjacent to the liver, pancreas, kidney, and spleen. The origin of the cyst was not identified. We were not able to make a preoperative diagnosis; therefore, the patient underwent resection of the mass by open laparotomy for therapeutic diagnosis. Intraoperatively, the mass was identified to be cystic and adhered to the left adrenal gland. It was filled with more than 2000 mL of serous brown-red fluid. The content of the cyst contained no atypical cells on cytological examination. The wall of the cyst was composed of a lining of a single layer of lymphatic vessel-derived cells, and the cyst was pathologically classified as a true cyst. No abdominal symptoms were observed and a postoperative radiological work-up showed no evidence of recurrence during a 6-year follow-up period. We describe a case of a patient with a giant lymphatic cyst of the adrenal gland. The preset data suggest that surgeons should decide treatment strategy for large adrenal cysts in consideration of hormonal function, degree of size, and possibility of malignancy.