A 35-year-old woman comes to the physician because of intermittent palpitations over the past 2 weeks. During this period, she also has had constipation and felt more tired than usual. She was diagnosed with hypertension 4 weeks ago. After the initial laboratory workup, an abdominal CT is performed that shows a 2-cm left-sided adrenal mass. The patient undergoes an uncomplicated left-sided adrenalectomy. Gross examination of the adrenal gland demonstrates a well-defined yellowish tumor within the cortex. Assuming the tumor cells are functionally similar to cells from the outermost layer of the adrenal cortex, this patient would most likely have presented with which of the following additional symptoms?

Question

A 35-year-old woman comes to the physician because of intermittent palpitations over the past 2 weeks. During this period, she also has had constipation and felt more tired than usual. She was diagnosed with hypertension 4 weeks ago. After the initial laboratory workup, an abdominal CT is performed that shows a 2-cm left-sided adrenal mass.  The patient undergoes an uncomplicated left-sided adrenalectomy.  Gross examination of the adrenal gland demonstrates a well-defined yellowish tumor within the cortex.  Assuming the tumor cells are functionally similar to cells from the outermost layer of the adrenal cortex, this patient would most likely have presented with which of the following additional symptoms?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: Hypersecreting adrenocortical tumors can have functionality resembling the outer (aldosterone/Conn syndrome), middle (cortisol/Cushing syndrome), or inner (androgens/hirsutism and virilization) layers of the adrenal cortex.

A 35-Year-Old Woman Comes to the Physician Because of Intermittent