Adrenal Cortical Virilism1

FOR MANY YEARS it has been known that adrenal cortical tumors might be W associated with disturbances of the secondary sexual characteristics, and JL. more recently it has been noted that these tumors vary in the number and nature of the symptoms they produce. Thus, some adenomas of the adrenal cortex have appeared as incidental findings at autopsy; others are associated with virilism alone; and still others appear as the only gross lesion in the extensive metabolic disturbance of Cushing–s syndrome (1). Young has summarised the literature in his text (2). The patient described is a girl with virilism in whom (a), early surgical exploration revealed no tumor of the ovaries or adrenals, (b), Subsequently an adrenal tumor was diagnosed and was removed with striking symptomatic improvement, (c), Before the tumor was removed her urinary androgen excretion was greatly elevated and estrogens were very high by one method of assay, but were normal by another method.