Ectopic adrenal tissue in a cat that underwent an ovariohysterectomy

To describe the use of ultrasound and adrenal function testing to confirm that excised periovarian tissue is normal ectopic adrenal tissue (EAT).

A 6-month-old female domestic shorthair cat.

The cat underwent an ovariohysterectomy procedure, during which abnormal tissue was discovered adjacent to both ovaries. The tissue was removed during the ovariohysterectomy and submitted for histopathology, which was consistent with adrenal gland tissue, initially raising concern for an inadvertent adrenalectomy. Abdominal ultrasound and an adrenal function test were performed that confirmed normal adrenal structure and function; thus, the removed structure was diagnosed as EAT.

The patient continued to recover from the procedure uneventfully at home.

Parovarian nodules are an uncommon finding but when observed and biopsied, may be mistaken for physiologic adrenal tissue on the basis of histopathologic features alone without awareness of their existence and clinical context. The use of abdominal ultrasound and ACTH stimulation test offers an affirmative method of differentiating adrenal gland tissue from EAT.