Hormonal Evaluation of the Patient with an Incidentally Discovered Adrenal Mass

THE finding of an adrenal mass in the course of abdominal computerized tomography (CT) performed for other reasons poses an increasingly common clinical problem. The prevalence of such incidentally recognized masses ranges from 0.6 to 1.3 percent.1 2 3 An autopsy study performed in conjunction with one study of CT scans revealed a 1.9 percent prevalence of cortical adenoma in patients for whom no evidence of endocrinopathy was recorded during life.2 In addition, a single pheochromocytoma was found (prevalence, 0.1 percent). Another autopsy study found an 8.7 percent prevalence of adrenocortical adenoma.4 These data suggest that as scanning techniques continue to improve, . . .