Adrenal Tissue Characterization Using MR Imaging

Using a superconducting magnet operating at 0.35 T, the authors investigated the adrenal tissue characterization potential of magnetic resonance (MR) in 28 patients with 33 adrenal masses. There were 13 adrenal adenomas (12 non-hyperfunctioning, one aldosteronoma), nine adrenal metastases, four pheochromocytomas, two neuroblastomas, two adrenal lymphomas, two myelolipomas, and one adrenal cortical carcinoma. Spin-echo pulse sequences were obtained at TR 0.5, 2.0 sec and TE 28, 56 msec. Both qualitative (visual assessment) and quantitative (absolute signal intensity, intensity ratios, T1, T2) data were used for tissue characterization. The results suggest that non-hyperfunctioning adrenal adenomas can be distinguished from non-adenomas using both qualitative and quantitative data: 16/19 non-adenomas were visually hyperintense compared with liver at TR 2.0 sec, TE 56 msec, while none of the non-hyperfunctioning adenomas was relatively hyperintense at any pulse sequence used. Of the quantitative data, the intensity ratios of adrenal lesion/liver at TR 0.5 sec, TE 56 msec were most useful in diagnosis: all adenomas had ratios less than 0.83, while 19/20 non-adenomas had ratios exceeding this value. It is concluded that MR has considerable promise in adrenal tissue characterization.