Purpose: To identify the clinical and radiologic features of unilateral adrenal hematomas in adults.
Patients and Methods: From our database of 75 patients who underwent adrenalectomies at our institution, we identified 3 patients who underwent adrenalectomy for adrenal tumors. The pathology report confirmed adrenal hematomas with no evidence of neoplasm.
Results: The patients consisted of a man presenting with abdominal pain, another man presenting with persistent hypertension, and a woman presenting with hypertension, headache, palpitations, and diaphoresis. All patients were anemic, receiving aspirin, and had previous abdominal surgeries under general anesthesia.
Conclusion: Unilateral adrenal hematomas sometimes are indistinguishable radiologically from neoplasms. Surgery is then necessary to distinguish a hematoma from a hemorrhagic adrenal tumor.
