Adrenal adenoma
Case contributed by:
Dr Frank Gaillard
Presentation:
Incidental finding in a 35 year old male
Patient Data:
Age: 35
Gender: Male
From the case:
Adrenal adenoma
Modality:
CT
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non-contrast
A well defined homogenous nodular mass lesion is seen in left adrenal gland with HU~45 on non-contrast scan.
Differential diagnosis:
From the case:
Adrenal adenoma
Modality:
MRI
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T1 in-phase
MRI demonstrates convincing signal dropout in out-of-phase T1 imaging, confirming that this represents an adrenal adenoma.
Also not the signal drop out of the liver consistent with hepatic steatosis.
Case Discussion:
Adrenal adenoma can be detected on non-contrast scans due to its low HU (10-20 HU is highly specific). However, MRI is indicated in ambiguous lesions with higher HU corresponding to soft tissue. Due to microscopic lipid-rich content, signal drop out is seen in opp-phase.
References:
- 1. Korobkin M, Brodeur FJ, Yutzy GG et-al. Differentiation of adrenal adenomas from nonadenomas using CT attenuation values. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1996;166 (3): 531-6. AJR Am J Roentgenol (abstract) - Pubmed citation
- 2. Blake MA, Holalkere NS, Boland GW. Imaging techniques for adrenal lesion characterization. Radiol. Clin. North Am. 2008;46 (1): 65-78, vi. doi:10.1016/j.rcl.2008.01.003 - Pubmed citation
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