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Updated: Apr 11, 2026
A Novel Method: Super-selective Adrenal Venous Sampling
Published on: September 15, 2017
Prediction of Adrenal Adenomas With Hypercortisolism by Using Adrenal Computed Tomography: Emphasis on Contralateral
Sung Yoon Park1, Young Taik Oh, Dae Chul Jung
1From the *Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiological Science, and †Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Purpose:
To analyze computed tomography (CT) characteristics of adrenal adenomas with hypercortisolism on adrenal CT compared to adenomas with hyperaldosteronism.
Materials And Methods:
Thirty-two adrenal adenomas, consisting of group A (hypercortisolism, n = 16) and group B (hyperaldosteronism, n = 16), were evaluated with adrenal CT. Thirty-four patients without adrenal nodule on CT and hormonal abnormality (group C) were selected for comparison. In adenomas, lesion size, attenuation value, and absolute and relative washout were compared between groups A and B. The mean adrenal thickness was compared quantitatively and qualitatively between groups.
Results:
All of adenomas satisfied absolute (≥60%) or relative (≥40%) washout criteria of adrenal CT. The mean adrenal thickness was 1.6 ± 0.3 mm in group A, 2.9 ± 0.5 mm in group B, and 3.0 ± 0.4 mm in group C (group A versus B or C, P < 0.001; group B versus C, P = 0.775). For differentiating group A from B, the area under the curve of quantitative and qualitative analyses for contralateral adrenal thickness was 0.982 and 0.934, respectively. Both sensitivity and specificity with cutoff of 2.0 mm or less in thickness and probably thin or more in visual score were 93.7% and 93.7%, and 87.5% and 93.7%, respectively, for predicting group A.
Conclusions:
Contralateral adrenal thinning on CT helps predict adrenal adenomas with hypercortisolism.
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