Spontaneous haemorrhage of an adrenal angiomyolipoma: case report

• Main Authors: Danielle Whiting, Ian Rudd, Amit Goel, Seshadri Sriprasad, Sanjeev Madaan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SpringerOpen 2019-11-01
• Series: African Journal of Urology
• Subjects: Adrenal gland neoplasms; Adrenalectomy; Angiomyolipoma; Haemorrhage
• Online Access: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12301-019-0006-1

Abstract Background Angiomyolipomas are rare mesenchymal tumours arising from the perivascular epithelioid cells consisting of variable amounts of adipose, thick-walled blood vessels and smooth muscle cells. These benign tumours commonly occur in the kidney with only a few case reports of adrenal angiomyolipomas which have the potential to reach a large size and haemorrhage. Case presentation A 45-year-old lady presented with a 3-week history of right loin pain, nausea and vomiting. A CT scan revealed a right adrenal angiomyolipoma measuring 6.3 × 6.8 cm with associated haemorrhage. The lesion was successfully treated with right open adrenalectomy, and histology confirmed the diagnosis of adrenal angiomyolipoma. The patient remained well with no evidence of recurrence at the 36-month follow-up. Conclusion Adrenal angiomyolipomas are rare benign tumours that have the ability to reach a large size and potential to bleed. Here, we report the second case of spontaneous haemorrhage in an adrenal angiomyolipoma, which was successfully treated with open adrenalectomy.