Rare Case of Adrenal Hemangioma Discovered Incidentally during Renal Colic Investigation

BACKGROUND Hemangiomas of the adrenal gland are rare benign non-functional tumors arising from the gland's vascular endothelium. Adrenal hemangiomas are rare in clinical settings, often discovered incidentally during an unrelated diagnostic investigation. CASE REPORT A 39-year-old man presented with a heterogeneous, enhancing 4.56×4.24×3.9-cm mass originating from the right adrenal gland's lateral limb, discovered incidentally on computed tomography (CT) to investigate renal colic. He was routinely followed up for 2 years with serial CT scans; the mass exhibited considerable growth compared with baseline, with a relatively stable appearance with hyperdense soft tissue component, fat, and foci of calcification. Dexamethasone suppression test demonstrated suppressed cortisol response, indicating a non-functional mass. Therefore, laparoscopic right adrenalectomy was performed, owing to the benign nature of the preoperative diagnosis of myelolipoma and mass size. The patient experienced an uneventful recovery, with no perioperative complications. The resected mass was 5×4×4 cm in size and weighed 30 g. Histopathology confirmed adrenal hemangioma. Serial sectioning revealed an encapsulated lesion with heterogeneous solid and cystic surfaces. Light microscopy examination showed dilated and congested vascular channels lined by flattened endothelium. Focal mature adipose tissue was seen. CONCLUSIONS The infrequent occurrence of adrenal hemangiomas and their nonspecific clinical and radiological presentation results in a considerable diagnostic challenge and, often, misdiagnosis. Surgical resection is usually necessary to exclude malignant disease, alleviate pressure-related symptoms, and decrease risk of retroperitoneum hemorrhage. These lesions are associated with a good prognosis. One limitation of this report is the lack of preoperative adrenal magnetic resonance imaging of the incidental adrenal mass.