Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 5, Issue 2 65-68, Copyright © 1986 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
High-resolution real-time sonography of the adrenal glands: a routine examination?
G. Marchal, J. Gelin, E. Verbeken, A. Baert and J. Lauwerijns
The feasibility of imaging the adrenal glands during routine upper
abdominal examinations was studied for 100 consecutive patients, 47 males
and 53 females. The mean patient age was 46 years and the mean weight 63
kg. The suprarenal areas were scanned in a slightly oblique frontal plane
through the intercostal spaces with the patient recumbent. The right
adrenal gland was detected in 92 per cent of the patients, with a mean
examination time of less than one minute. Visualization of the left adrenal
gland was more difficult and was successful in only 71 per cent, even where
additional views in the right lateral decubitus or erect position were
added. The mean examination time on the left was 2 1/2 minutes. Complete
visualization of the adrenal gland is impossible in one single plane
because of the complex shape of the organ, which necessitates multiple
contiguous scan planes. In 13 per cent of the visualized adrenals, cortex
and medulla could be differentiated.
