ADRENAL GLAND
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Adrenal glands are located on the upper pole of the kidneys
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Left adrenal gland is elongated or crescentic and right adrenal gland is roughly pyramidal in shape
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Adrenal gland comprises of outer cortex and inner medulla
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Adrenal cortex is approximately 2mm thick and contains three zones
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Outer Zona Glomerulosa – Thin layer beneath the capsule comprising 5 to 10% of adrenal cortex. Cells are arrangened in small nests and secrete Mineralocorticoids
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Middle Zona fasciculata – Thick zone comprising 70% of adrenal cortex. Cells are arranged in radial columns and have lipid in cytoplasm. Cells secrete Glucocorticoids
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Inner Zona reticularis – Composed of cells with compact eosinophilic cytoplasm containing lipochrome pigment. Cells secrete Androgens
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Adrenal medulla consists of chromaffin cells which are arranged in discrete nests or short anastomosing cords or diffuse or solid arrangement. Cells have amphophilic cytoplasm.
[Reference: Tumors of the Adrenal glands and extraadrenal paraganglia. AFIP atlas of Tumor pathology. Series 4]
Adrenal gland (H&E,X50)
Adrenal gland – H&E,X50
Zona glomerulosa – Cells arranged in small nests (H&E,X400)
Zona Fasciculata : Cells arranged in cords or columns oriented perpendicular to medulla. cells contain lipid droplets (H&E,X400)
zona fasciculata : Cells are arranged in columns (H&E,X400)
Zona reticularis: Cells have eosinophilic cytoplasm (H&E,X400)
Zona reticularis: Cells contain eosinophilic cytoplasm and some of them show lipofuscin pigment (H&E.X400)
Adrenal medulla: Cells with amphophilic cytoplasm arranged in nests. Zona reticularis is noted in the top (H&E,X100)
Adrenal medulla: Cells with amphophilic cytoplasm arranged in nests.Lymphocytic infiltrate is noted in some foci. (H&E,X100)
Adrenal medulla: Cells with amphophilic cytoplasm arranged in nests. Cells have fine basophilic granules in cytoplasm (H&E,X400)
Adrenal medulla: Cells have amphophilic cytoplasm and are arranged in nests (H&E,X400)