ABSTRACT
The incidental finding of a cortical nodule/adenoma is not uncommon. Autopsy and clinical studies revealed an incidence of 1.4-3.0% and 0.6-1.3%, respectively. A higher incidence is noted in elderly, hypertensive, and diabetic patients. There are no established size criteria to differentiate a nodule from an adenoma, although measurements of less than 0.5-1.0 cm are usually accepted for a nodule. The average size from several studies is 2.5 cm, but larger lesions of 5-6 cm have been reported. In nonautopsy material, patients are most frequently womenwith an average age of 60 years. Grossly, these lesions are well circumscribed yellow masses (Fig. 1). On histology, the lesions are composed of cortical cells with variable lipid contents (1-5).
