Adrenal Gland

Either of a pair of small flat triangular glands which lie atop or adjacent to each kidney and which are composed of
(1) The outer adrenal cortex, an endocrine gland composed of three layers, from the outermost zona glomerulosa, which produces mineralocorticoids, primarily aldosterone that regulates blood pressure, the middle zona fasciculata, which produces glucocorticoids, primarily cortisol, and the inner zona reticularis, which produces androgens, primarily DHEA and DHEA-S, and
(2) The central adrenal medulla, a neuroendocrine "organ" which produces catecholmines (epinephrine/adrenaline & norepinephrine/noradrenaline) in response to stress signals from the peripheral nervous system.
Blood supply
Arterial
• Superior suprarenal artery from the inferior phrenic artery
• Middle suprarenal artery from the abdominal aorta
• Inferior suprarenal artery from the renal artery
Venous
• Right suprarenal vein to the inferior vena cava
• Left suprarenal vein to the left renal vein or the left inferior phrenic vein

suprarenal glands

A now obsolete term for the adrenal glands.

Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005

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References in periodicals archive

Standardized uptake values of [sup.11]C-acetate were significantly higher in pancreas (SUV mean of 6,4 for head and 5.9 for body) than in liver (SUV mean 3,3), spleen (SUV mean 4,5), or left suprarenal gland (SUV mean 2,7) (Table 2).

Other organs (liver, spleen, and left suprarenal gland) showed significantly lower uptake of radiotracer, with spleen being second after pancreas.

Normal Uptake of [sup. 11]C-Acetate in Pancreas, Liver, Spleen, and Suprarenal Gland in PET

* Tongue shaped suprarenal gland is observed at 12th week of gestation.

Shape, Size weight and relations of the human right suprarenal gland Journal of Anatomical society of India 1987.

Study of morphogenesis of suprarenal gland in human foetuses of different gestational ages

Weight of suprarenal glands increased with fetal gestational age, but the left was found to be consistently heavier than the right throughout fetal gestational age.

Macroscopic study of suprarenal glands in human fetuses

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