Prenatal sonographic findings of congenital adrenal cortical adenoma

Pediatric adrenocortical tumors cohort characteristics and long-term follow-up at a single Argentinian tertiary center

Pediatric adrenocortical tumors are rare and heterogeneous endocrine malignancies.

OBJECTIVES

To report clinical, biochemical, and histological features, staging, and therapeutic interventions in a cohort of 28 patients treated at a single tertiary center.

METHODS

A retrospective review of medical records of children with PACT (diagnosed before <18 years of age) followed between 1987-2018 at Hospital de Pediatría Garrahan, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

RESULTS

Mean age at diagnosis was 4.6 years (range, 0.3-17.3 years) and median follow-up was 4.17 years (range, 0-12 years). Female to male ratio was 2.5:1. Signs and symptoms that prompted medical intervention were hormonal overproduction (57%), abdominal complaints (36%), and hypertensive encephalopathy (7%). In patients with clinically virilizing tumors (n=16) mean height standard deviation score (SDS) and bone age advance were significantly higher while body mass index (BMI) SDS was significantly lower than in those with clinical Cushing's (n=10) (p<0.05). Serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) levels were significantly higher in stage IV than in stage I (p=0.03). Total adrenalectomy was performed in 26 patients. Eight patients (stage III-IV) received adjuvant chemotherapy. Five-year overall and disease-free survival were 100% for ST I-II, and 51% (95% CI 21-82) and 33% (95% CI 1.2-65) for ST III-IV, respectively (p=0.002). No statistical difference was found when comparing 2-year parameters with and without adjuvant chemotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Height SDS and BMI SDS seem to mirror hormonal secretion in pediatric adrenocortical tumors. Higher DHEAS levels were found in patients with more advanced disease. Further large-scale studies are needed to validate a possible role for DHEAS as a biochemical marker of tumor stage and to draw robust conclusions on the use of adjuvant chemotherapy.

Imaging of solid congenital abdominal masses: a review of the literature and practical approach to image interpretation

Fetal abdominal tumors are rare, usually benign, and cause a great deal of anxiety for expectant parents and the physicians counseling them. In this paper the author reviews the most common fetal abdominal tumors in the liver (hemangioma, mesenchymal hamartoma, hepatoblastoma, metastases) and the kidney (congenital mesoblastic nephroma, Wilms tumor, malignant rhabdoid tumor, and clear cell sarcoma), and suprarenal mass lesions (adrenal neuroblastoma, adrenal hemorrhage, and subdiaphragmatic extralobar pulmonary sequestration). The author describes the imaging approach, imaging appearance and differentiating features of tumors, and differences between fetal and childhood appearances of tumors.

Fetal adrenal gland in the second half of gestation: morphometrical assessment with 3.0T post-mortem MRI

Background

The morphometry of fetal adrenal gland is rarely described with MRI of high magnetic field. The purpose of this study is to assess the normal fetal adrenal gland length (AL), width (AW), height (AH), surface area (AS) and volume (AV) in the second half of gestation with 3.0T post-mortem MRI.

Methods and Findings

Fifty-two fetal specimens of 23–40 weeks gestational age (GA) were scanned by 3.0T MRI. Morphological changes and quantitative measurements of the fetal adrenal gland were analyzed. Asymmetry and sexual dimorphism were also obtained. The shape of the fetal adrenal gland did not change substantially from 23 to 40 weeks GA. The bilateral adrenal glands appeared as a ‘Y’, pyramidal or half-moon shape after reconstruction. There was a highly linear correlation between AL, AW, AH, AS, AV and GA. AW, AH, AS and AV were larger for the left adrenal gland than the right. No sexual dimorphism was found.

Conclusions

Our data delineated the normal fetal adrenal gland during the second half of gestation, and can serve as a useful precise reference for anatomy or in vivo fetus.

An unusual presentation of congenital adrenocortical carcinoma: a case report and review of the literature

We describe a case of congenital non-functional adrenocortical carcinoma in a male infant who presented with recurrent pneumonia, paraparesis and sclerotic skeletal metastasis. To the best of our knowledge such presentation has never been reported.

Familial predisposition to adrenocortical tumors: clinical and biological features and management strategies

The incidence of adrenocortical tumors (ACTs) is increased in several familial cancer syndromes resulting from abnormalities in genes that encode transcription factors implicated in cell proliferation, differentiation, senescence, apoptosis, and genomic instability. These include P53, MEN1, APC, and PRKAR1A. Adenomas are the most common ACTs, but adrenocortical carcinomas occur rarely as well. The clinical manifestations of ACTs, which result from increased secretion of adrenocortical hormones, are similar in the familial and sporadic forms of the disease. However, their management may differ because of unique aspects of the constitutional syndromes. The analysis of gene expression profiles of ACTs in these constitutional syndromes have contributed to our understanding of adrenal tumorigenesis and revealed new molecular diagnostic and prognostic markers and candidate genes for targeted therapies. This chapter summarizes the clinical and biological features, pathogenesis, and management strategies for ACTs that develop in patients with familial cancer syndrome.

The Importance of Sonography in the Evaluation of Neonatal Adrenal Hemorrhage

Neonatal adrenal hemorrhage is a relatively common condition of the newborn. Etiologies of neonatal adrenal hemorrhage include maternal/ fetal stress, birth trauma, congenital syphilis, dehydration, anoxia, or other systemic disorders. Clinical presentation ranges from asymptomatic to anemia, hypotension, vomiting, jaundice/hyperbilirubinemia, scrotal discoloration, hyponatremia, and palpable abdominal mass. Adrenal hemorrhage sonographically appears as an abdominal mass with displacement of the kidney inferiorly, known as mass effect. Differentiation of adrenal hemorrhage from more serious pathologies such as adrenal carcinoma, neuroblastoma, or pheochromocytoma is critical. Bluish discoloration of the scrotum may also occur due to extravasation of blood from the hemorrhage, leading to an incorrect diagnosis of testicular torsion or acute scrotum. Proper sonographic evaluation conservatively avoids unnecessary surgical exploration. Power Doppler imaging, color Doppler imaging, and serial gray-scale sonography can document the characteristics and progression of the condition for accurate diagnosis. Sonography is a preferred noninvasive screening modality for evaluating abdominal masses within the pediatric population because of its sensitivity, avoidance of radiation and sedation, and potential value for avoiding exploratory surgery.