Isolated visceral leishmaniasis presenting as an adrenal cystic mass

Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2000 Oct;124(10):1553-6. doi: 10.5858/2000-124-1553-IVLPAA.

Abstract

A 69-year-old woman presented with a large left retroperitoneal suprarenal mass. Radical resection of the left kidney and the mass revealed a cystic adrenal tumor with a weight of 1500 g. Histologic examination showed that the cyst was composed mostly of partially organized clotted blood. The periphery of the mass consisted of a thin rim of cortical and medullary adrenal tissue with superimposed granulomatous chronic inflammation. The infectious nature of the process was manifested by the scattered intracellular and extracellular Leishmania amastigotes that were found throughout the lesion. The differential diagnosis of cystic adrenal masses and the unusual presentation of visceral leishmaniasis are discussed in this context.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adrenal Gland Diseases / diagnosis*
  • Adrenal Gland Diseases / parasitology
  • Adrenal Gland Diseases / surgery
  • Aged
  • Animals
  • Calgranulin A
  • Chromogranin A
  • Chromogranins / analysis
  • Cysts / diagnosis*
  • Cysts / parasitology
  • Cysts / surgery
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Leishmania / isolation & purification
  • Leishmaniasis, Visceral / diagnosis*
  • Leishmaniasis, Visceral / parasitology
  • Leishmaniasis, Visceral / surgery
  • Nephrectomy
  • S100 Proteins / analysis
  • Synaptophysin / analysis
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Substances

  • Calgranulin A
  • Chromogranin A
  • Chromogranins
  • S100 Proteins
  • S100a8 protein, mouse
  • Synaptophysin