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Ultrastructure of cortisol-secreting adrenal adenomata

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Virchows Archiv B

Summary

Two adrenocortical adenomata causing Cushing’s syndrome were examined by electron microscopy. Adenomatous cells were arranged in islets and contained ovoid nuclei with a prominent nucleoli. Mitochondria were polymorphic and displayed tubular and lamelliform cristae. Some cells were apparently devoid of lipid droplets and possessed an exceedingly well developed SER, the tubules of which were intermingled with small stacks of ribosome-studded cisternae, while other parenchymal cells contained large clumps of lipid droplets and scanty SER tubules. A conspicuous Golgi apparatus and many dense bodies of probable lysosomal nature were also observed. These findings suggest that the adenomata are derived from the zona fasciculata and that lipid-laden and lipid-free cells are, respectively, resting and actively secreting elements.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, University of Padua, 1-35100, Padua, Italy

    Claudia Robba, Virgilio Meneghelli, Giuseppina Mazzocchi & Gastone G. Nussdorfer

  2. Department of Medical Semeiology, University of Padua at Verona, I-37100, Verona, Italy

    Guglielmo Bonanni & Donato Ziliotto

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  1. Claudia Robba
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  2. Guglielmo Bonanni
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  3. Virgilio Meneghelli
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  4. Donato Ziliotto
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  5. Giuseppina Mazzocchi
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  6. Gastone G. Nussdorfer
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Robba, C., Bonanni, G., Meneghelli, V. et al. Ultrastructure of cortisol-secreting adrenal adenomata. Virchows Archiv B Cell Pathol 33, 245–255 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02899185

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02899185

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