Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging of the adrenal gland: a preliminary report.
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging characteristics of the normal and abnormal adrenal gland were evaluated and compared with findings on computed tomography (CT). Forty-two patients were examined: 36 had normal adrenal glands and 6 had adrenal disease (3 metastatic lesions, 1 pheochromocytoma, and 2 cortical hyperplasia). NMR clearly showed all 42 left adrenals (100%) and 36 right adrenals (86%). In some patients, it appeared to differentiate the adrenal cortex from the medulla. The ability of NMR to detect adrenal disease was similar to that of CT in 6 cases examined. CT demonstrated superior spatial resolution in most cases, but NMR provided superior soft-tissue contrast. Since NMR does not involve ionizing radiation and provides excellent soft-tissue differentiation without contrast material, it has advantages over CT and appears to be a promising modality for imaging of the adrenal gland.
D000307:Adrenal Gland Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed