Embryology of the adrenal glands and its relevance to diagnostic imaging

An understanding of the embryology of the adrenal glands is necessary to appreciate the location of adrenal ectopic, or rest, tissue which can occur anywhere along the course of gonadal descent. This tissue usually has no clinical significance, but may become hyperplastic in patients with primary or...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical radiology 2005-09, Vol.60 (9), p.953-959
Main Authors: Barwick, T.D., Malhotra, A., Webb, J.A.W., Savage, M.O., Reznek, R.H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adrenal Gland Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging
Adrenal gland, abnormalities
Adrenal gland, hyperplasia
Adrenal Glands - diagnostic imaging
Adrenal Glands - embryology
Adrenal Hyperplasia, Congenital - diagnostic imaging
Adrenal Rest Tumor - diagnostic imaging
Adrenals. Adrenal axis. Renin-angiotensin system (diseases)
Biological and medical sciences
Endocrinopathies
Female
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Kidney - abnormalities
Kidney - diagnostic imaging
Male
Medical sciences
Non tumoral diseases. Target tissue resistance. Benign neoplasms
Paediatrics
Testicular Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging
Testis - diagnostic imaging
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:An understanding of the embryology of the adrenal glands is necessary to appreciate the location of adrenal ectopic, or rest, tissue which can occur anywhere along the course of gonadal descent. This tissue usually has no clinical significance, but may become hyperplastic in patients with primary or secondary adrenal pathology. In congenital adrenal hyperplasia, hyperplastic rest tissue may present as a soft-tissue mass, particularly in the gonads and retroperitoneum, and may be mistaken for tumour. The adrenal in the neonate is proportionately much larger than in the adult; in renal ectopy or agenesis the ipsilateral adrenal is normally sited and may be mistaken for a kidney because of its size. This review article illustrates the embryology of the adrenal with particular emphasis on the relevance of embryology to pathology.
ISSN:0009-9260
1365-229X
DOI:10.1016/j.crad.2005.04.006