Table of Contents
Definition / general | Essential features | Epidemiology | Etiology | Radiology images | Case reports | Treatment | Gross description | Microscopic (histologic) description | Microscopic (histologic) images | Positive stains | Negative stains | Differential diagnosisCite this page: Gellert LL. Ovarian thecal metaplasia. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/adrenalovarianthecal.html. Accessed March 19th, 2024.
Definition / general
- Benign proliferation of radial scar-like fibroblastic / myofibroblastic cells
- Usually located just beneath the adrenal capsule
Essential features
- Benign proliferation of radial scar-like fibroblastic / myofibroblastic cells
- Usually located just beneath the adrenal capsule
- Mostly in postmenopausal women; rare in men
- May be due to metaplasia from adrenal capsule mesenchymal cells due to unopposed pituitary gonadotropin during menopause
Epidemiology
- Mostly in postmenopausal women; rare in men
Etiology
- May be due to metaplasia from adrenal capsule mesenchymal cells due to unopposed pituitary gonadotropin during menopause
Radiology images
Case reports
- 17 year old woman with adrenal ovarian thecal metaplasia in association with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (World J Radiol 2014;6:919)
- 49 year old woman with an adrenal mass (Arch Pathol Lab Med 2004;128:1294)
- 64 year old woman with adrenal cortical adenoma and ovarian thecal metaplasia (Endocr Pathol 2011;22:222)
- 77 year old man with adrenal ovarian thecal metaplasia with acquired bilateral testicular atrophy (Arch Pathol Lab Med 1989;113:1071)
Treatment
- Surgical excision for definite pathologic diagnosis
Gross description
- Multiple bilateral nodules in adrenal cortex, grossly visible (up to 2 cm) or microscopic
Microscopic (histologic) description
- Proliferation of spindle cells located just beneath the capsule, surrounding small nests of cortical cells
- Nodular proliferation of radial scar-like spindle cell fibroblastic / myofibroblastic cells
Differential diagnosis