Bilateral adrenal calcifications
Case contributed by:
Dr Maxime St-Amant
Presentation:
Incidental finding on an abdominal plain film done for vague abdominal pain.
Patient Data:
Age: 55
Gender: Male
Race: Hispanic/Latino
From the case:
Bilateral adrenal calcifications
Modality:
X-ray
Plain abdominal film shows bilateral triangular foci of calcifications near the adrenal lodge, compatible with bilateral adrenal calcifications.
Case Discussion:
This patient had a past medical history of adrenal hemorrhage. If this was not known then the differential diagnosis for this incidental findings includes:
Haemorrhage
- sepsis : Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome
- blunt abdominal trauma
- neonatal asphyxia
- coagulopathy
- infants : calcification seen soon after haemorrhage (as early as 1 - 2 weeks)
Infection
Adrenal tumours
- metastases : especially melanoma
- neuroblastoma
- adrenal myelolipoma
- adrenal adenoma
- adrenocortical carcinoma
- pheochromocytoma
Other
-
Addison disease
- uncommon in primary Addison disease; calcification suggests an underlying cause (e.g. infection)
- Wolman disease
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