Echogenicity of benign adrenal focal lesions on imaging with new ultrasound techniques – report with pictorial presentation
Article Category: Original paper
Published Online: Sep 13, 2016
Page range: 368 - 376
Received: Oct 22, 2015
Accepted: Oct 23, 2015
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15557/jou.2015.0034
Keywords
© 2015 Rafał Z. Słapa et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Aim
The aim of the research was to assess the echogenicity of benign adrenal focal lesions using new ultrasound techniques.
Material and method
34 benign adrenal masses in 29 patients were analyzed retrospectively. The examinations were conducted using Aplio XG (Toshiba, Japan) ultrasound scanner with a convex probe 1–6 MHz in the B-mode presentation with the combined use of new ultrasound techniques: harmonic imaging and spatial compound sonography. The size of the adrenal tumors, their echogenicity and homogeneity were analyzed. Statistical analysis was conducted using the STATISTICA 10 software.
Results
The following adrenal masses were assessed: 12 adenomas, 10 nodular hyperplasias of adrenal cortex, 7 myelolipomas, 3 pheochromocytomas, a hemangioma with hemorrhage and a cyst. The mean diameter of nodular hyperplasia of adrenal cortex was not statistically different from that of adenomas (
Conclusions
A variety of echogenicity patterns of benign adrenal focal lesions was demonstrated. The image of an adrenal tumor correlates with its size. The ultrasound examination, apart from its indisputable usefulness in detecting and monitoring adrenal tumors, may also allow for the differentiation between benign lesions. However, for lesions found incidentally an algorithm for the assessment of adrenal incidentalo- mas is applicable, which includes computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.