Spontaneous adrenal hemorrhage with dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate elevation in a patient with suspected adrenal cortical carcinoma

Introduction Spontaneous adrenal hemorrhage is a relatively rare disease that is sometimes difficult to differentiate from adrenal cortical carcinoma. We herein report a case of spontaneous adrenal hemorrhage with dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate elevation. Case presentation The patient was a 78-year-old man with an adrenal tumor that had increased in size to 42 mm. With the exception of an elevated dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate level (2281 ng/mL), the results of a hormone analysis were almost normal. Laparoscopic adrenal tumor resection was performed. The pathological diagnosis was adrenal hematoma. Conclusion We reported a case of spontaneous adrenal hemorrhage in a patient with dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate elevation.