What are incidentalomas?

In up to 10% of post-mortems and 4% of abdominal CTs a mass on the adrenal gland is found unexpectedly. The important causes of incidental tumours include lesions that produce (functioning) or do not produce (non-functioning) hormones. The most important causes are listed below:

UnilateralBilateral
Functioning Functioning
Adrenal adenoma ACTH-dep Cushing's syndrome
Adrenal carcinoma
CAH
Phaechromocytoma Phaechromocytoma

Idiopathic bilateral adrenal hyperplasia

 

Non-functioning Non- Functioning
Metastases Infection (TB)
Adrenal carcinoma Infiltration
Ganglioneuroma Haemorrhage
Myelolipoma Bilateral metastases
Haematoma
Adrenolipoma
Adrenal adenoma