Ultrastructural morphometry of different adrenal adenoma types.

Twelve surgical specimens of adrenal tumors (3 mainly compact cell adenomas and 2 mainly spongiocytic adenomas of Cushing's syndrome, 4 adenomas of Conn's syndrome, 1 androgen-secreting adenoma, and 2 hormonally inactive tumors) were studied by ultrastructural morphometry, using the point-counting method. All groups were compared with regard to the statistical differences among the different cell organelles. Compact cell adenomas and spongiocytic adenomas in Cushing's syndrome revealed differences in the volume fraction of the following cell organefles: nuclei, smooth endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, Golgi zones, and unorganized cytoplasm, as well as in the fraction of lipid vacuoles.