Case report

Simultaneous adrenal and extra-adrenal myelolipoma – an uncommon incident: case report and review of the literature

Derek Zieker^{* 1,2} , Ingmar Königsrainer^{* 1} , Stephan Miller³ , Ulrich Vogel⁴ , Karl Sotlar⁴ , Wolfgang Steurer¹ , Alfred Königsrainer¹ and Thorsten G Lehmann¹

¹Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Tuebingen, Germany

²Department of Transfusion Medicine, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Tuebingen, Germany

³Department of Radiology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Tuebingen, Germany

⁴Department of Pathology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Tuebingen, Germany

author email corresponding author email* Contributed equally

World Journal of Surgical Oncology 2008, 6:72doi:10.1186/1477-7819-6-72

Published:	4 July 2008

Abstract

Background

Extra-adrenal myelolipomas are rare benign tumours. Other soft tissue tumours such as well-differentiated liposarcomas appear morphological almost identical. Preoperative imaging and especially biopsy are important tools to diagnose these lesions.

Case presentation

We report a very seldom case of a simultaneous myelolipoma of the adrenal gland in association with an extra-adrenal myelolipoma in an 75-year-old man. With a review of the literature we describe and discuss the aetiology, differential diagnosis and treatment of patients with respect to adrenal and extra-adrenal lesions.

Conclusion

The appearance of a simultaneous adrenal and extra-adrenal myelolipoma is a rare incident. We conclude that such lesions should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a fat-containing tumour in the retroperitoneal tissue/compartment.