TUMORS OF THE ADRENAL-CORTEX

The authors report their experience of 34 benign and 17 malignant tumo urs of the adrenal cortex. Both occurred more frequently in women (79. 4 % of cortical adenomas and 70.6 % of adrenocortical carcinomas). Mor eover, females were significantly younger (average age : adenomas: fem ales 44.9 years and males 54.4 years, adrenocortical carcinomas: femal es 34.1 years and males 58.3 years). Some tumours presented in the for m of increased hormone production, while others were hormonally inacti ve and did not cause clinical signs until later. Pain was the first sy mptom in the cases of malignant adrenocortical tumours. Adenomas occur red as frequently twice in the left adrenal gland (24 versus 12), wher eas carcinomas were more than twice are frequent on the right (10 vers us 7). Ultrasonography and CT were appropriate and fully sufficient me thods for the diagnosis of adrenal tumours. Arteriography was valuable in the differential diagnosis of large upper abdominal masses when th e organ of origin could not be identified by CT and for determination of anatomic conditions and subsequent surgical tactics. For small tumo urs of the adrenal cortex, the classic lumbar approach through the bed of the resected eleventh rib is adequate. For larger tumours, extende d lumbotomy, laparotomy or thoracotomy is necessary.