Left adrenal gland (Glandula suprarenalis sinistra)

Layer: Organs

Educational content only — not medical advice.

Anatomy

The left member of the pair, crescentic on the upper pole of the left kidney between pancreas, spleen and stomach, with the same cortex-medulla blueprint; its short central vein drains into the left renal vein then the IVC.

Clinical notes

Pancreatic inflammation can be mistaken for an adrenal mass; its venous anatomy sets the extra risk of left laparoscopic adrenalectomy, and birth trauma bleeds it into a neonatal adrenal haematoma with acute anaemia.

Related structures

Educational references

FAQ

What is the role of the Left adrenal gland?

The left member of the pair, crescentic on the upper pole of the left kidney between pancreas, spleen and stomach, with the same cortex-medulla blueprint; its short central vein drains into the left renal vein then the IVC.

Why is the Left adrenal gland clinically important?

Pancreatic inflammation can be mistaken for an adrenal mass; its venous anatomy sets the extra risk of left laparoscopic adrenalectomy, and birth trauma bleeds it into a neonatal adrenal haematoma with acute anaemia.

Source & license

BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science licensed under CC Attribution 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). license details