[Pedunculated hepatocellular carcinoma suspected of right adrenal tumor: a case report]

We report a rare case of extrahepatic growing hepatocellular carcinoma which was clinically diagnosed as right adrenal tumor. A 61-year-old woman was admitted for further examination of right flank pain and hypertension. Abdominal computed tomographic scan and echogram revealed a suprarenal mass. Hypercatecholaminemia was suspected from urinary analysis. Preoperative diagnosis was right adrenal tumor; suspected pheochromocytoma. On operation, we found the tumor was pedunculated from right lobe of liver and compressing normal right adrenal gland. Its clinical diagnosis was hepatocellular carcinoma. Ten months after operation she is still alive. We discuss the difficulty of differential diagnosis between extrahepatic growing hepatocellular carcinoma and adrenal tumor.