Weight is considered an important diagnostic feature in malignancy for both adrenocortical neoplasms and phaeochromocytomas. See overview page for more detail on identification principles. Record the patient identifying information and any clinical information supplied together with the specimen description as designated on the container. However consideration should be given to ensuring any invasion of the tumour into the adrenal capsule or adjacent tissue is not missed.Įctopic or accessory adrenal tissue can be present in other organs (particularly the retroperitoneum at the coeliac plexus) described as adrenal rests. Therefore it is important to remove the adipose tissue for an accurate weighing of the gland.

Weight is an important criterion to predict malignancy in both adrenocortical neoplasms and phaeochromocytoma. 5 The left adrenal gland is often heavier than the right. 75 x 7mm), they are yellow in colour in contrast to adjacent red-brown kidney tissue. The left adrenal lies within the perirenal fat but the right has one surface exposed along the upper border. When present with the kidney in a nephrectomy, the adrenal gland’s position and shape assist in identifying the laterality and orientating the kidney.

The right adrenal gland is triangular in shape whereas the left is broader and crescent-shaped due to its compression between the kidney and the liver. The adrenals are flat, ovoid glands with irregular surfaces located on the superior poles of kidneys, within Gerota’s fascia. 1,2 Other rare conditions have been described such as bilateral primary pigmented nodular adrenocortical disease 3 and adrenal medullary hyperplasia in familial medullary thyroid carcinoma. Rarely malignant tumours such as adrenal cortical carcinoma and infiltration by retroperitoneal tumours are detected.īilateral adrenalectomy may be necessary as a treatment for Cushing’s disease or ectopic adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) syndrome.

The adrenal gland is to the kidney