EXTRAADRENAL MYELOLIPOMA - REPORT OF 2 CASES

Myelolipomas are benign tumors composed of an admixture of matare adip ose tissue and normal hematopoietic cells, The vast majority occur wit hin the adrenal glands, but several extra-adrenal myelolipomas (EAMLs) have been reported, The typical EAML is a solitary, well-defined mass within the abdomen, most commonly in the retroperitoneal presacral ar ea, EAMLs may produce symptoms related to their mass effect, but they are occasionally incidental findings. Most commonly, the patient is ol der than 40 years and has no hematologic abnormalities. It is importan t to distinguish EAMLs from other soft tissue tumors, in particular li posarcomas, myxoid malignant fibrous histiocytomas, and extramedullary hematopoietic tumors. We discuss two cases of EAML, The first was in the retroperitoneum of a 76-year-old woman. It is the largest EAML eve r reported, measuring 26 cm x 15 cm x 11 cm, The second, a presacral m ass in a 68-year-old man, was diagnosed preoperatively by percutaneous computed tomography-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy, Preoperativ e diagnosis facilitated surgical management in this case, We discuss t he clinical, radiologic, and pathologic characteristics and the differ ential diagnosis of this rare entity.