Diagnosis and treatment of functioning and nonfunctioning adrenocortical neoplasms including incidentalomas

Abstract

The most important functional tumors of the adrenal cortex are those that secrete cortisol or aldosterone in excess. Biochemical testing when appropriately utilized can diagnose and differentiate the cause of Cushing's syndrome, and when an adrenal adenoma is found, surgical excision is curative. The diagnosis and surgical treatment of primary aldosteronism are straightforward today, and localization of the usual small cortical tumor producing the syndrome can be achieved by CT and NP-59 scanning or selective venous assays. Adrenocortical carcinomas are relatively rare, are usually incurable when diagnosed, and are an important consideration in the incidentally discovered adrenal mass found by CT scanning.