Isolated Visceral Leishmaniasis Presenting as an Adrenal Cystic Mass

Abstract

A 69-year-old woman presented with a large left retroperitoneal suprarenal mass. Radical resection of the left kidney and the mass revealed a cystic adrenal tumor with a weight of 1500 g. Histologic examination showed that the cyst was composed mostly of partially organized clotted blood. The periphery of the mass consisted of a thin rim of cortical and medullary adrenal tissue with superimposed granulomatous chronic inflammation. The infectious nature of the process was manifested by the scattered intracellular and extracellular Leishmania amastigotes that were found throughout the lesion. The differential diagnosis of cystic adrenal masses and the unusual presentation of visceral leishmaniasis are discussed in this context.