[The diagnosis and treatment of hormonally inactive adrenal formations]

Under analysis are results of an examination of 56 patients with hormonally non-active tumors of the adrenals, 48 of them were operated upon. In 20 patients (35%) they had clinical manifestations, 16 patients (28%) had an elevated level of the 17-HCS and 17-CS excretion in the 24-hours urine. Morphological investigations of the tumors in 20 patients have revealed clear cell adenomas of the cortical layer of the adrenal, in 19 patients--tumoral cysts, in 3 patients--true cysts, in 1 case-myelolipoma, in 1 case--ganglioneuromyelolipoma, in 4 cases--hormonally non-active carcinomas of the adrenal cortex. The authors propose to designate the new formations described as hormonally non-active tumors of the adrenals. In view of the absence of absolute methods for the identification of malignancy of the tumors the operative treatment of them is proposed.