An Ectopic Liver Nodule in an Adrenal Gland: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

BACKGROUND: The presence of ectopic liver tissue has been reported in various abdominal sites, most often in the gall bladder, Ectopic liver involving adrenal gland is extremely rare. Herein we report a case of ectopic liver nodule in the adrenal during adrenalectomy.
CASE REPORT: A 38-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for intermittent right flunk pain for 6 months. An abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed multiple opacities in the right upper ureter, atrophy of the right kidney, as well as an adenoma measured 1 cm in diameter in the inner arm of right adrenal gland. The patient subsequently underwent right nephrectomy and right adenalectomy. His postoperative course was uneventful. In a random section of the specimen of the right adrenal, there was also a nodule of liver tissue which measured 1.4 cm in diameter. Histologically, the nodule was circumscribed by a thin fibrous capsule. Majority of the content were hepatocyte steatosis. The nodule and the adrenal tissue were divided by a fibrous capsule.
CONCLUSIONS: Due to the rareness of ectopic liver tissue in the adrenal, the clinical significance of this abnormality is uncertain. However, given the possibility of that hepatocellular malignancy may arise from the ectopic liver, long-term follow-up should be advised on the patients with such abnormality.

Keywords: Adrenal Gland Neoplasms, Choristoma, Liver