A Report of Three Cases of Cystic Adrenal Masses. Incidence, Presentation and Management. A Case Series with a Short Review of the Literature

Abstract

Benign cystic and vascular adrenal tumours comprise a group of lesions characterised by their rarity. Nevertheless, they are still conflicting with other adrenal lesions. We reviewed our experience with cystic benign adrenal tumours in adults and evaluated previous reports to determine the appropriate diagnosis and management of these tumours. We retrospectively reviewed our records for all cases of adrenal tumours managed at our institution between 2010 and 2017. Patients aged > 18 years were included in the study. The patients’ characteristics, presentation, diagnostic tools, laboratory metabolic workup, mode of treatment, pathological characteristics and outcomes were assessed. We reviewed previous reports that addressed adrenal tumours, using a Medline/PubMed search. Out of 291 patients, three patients (median age 40 years) presented as cystic benign incidentalomas (<1%) and were included in the study. All patients had a normal metabolic profile. Radiological examination revealed cystic non-adenomatous adrenal masses with a mean diameter of 10 cm. Laparoscopic approach was carried out in two cases and open approach was done in the other patient. Benign pathology was found in all cases. No patient developed recurrence later on. We could conclude that the evaluation and classification of benign adrenal vascular tumours and cysts remain challenging because of their rarity and overlapping morphological features.