A Multimodality Review of Adrenal Tumors

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Endocrinology
• Oncology

Background:

• Adrenal tumors are frequently diagnosed in radiological practice.
• These tumors can originate from the adrenal cortex or medulla, or be secondary metastases.
• They can be benign or malignant, with functioning tumors causing hormonal syndromes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a multimodality review of common and uncommon adrenal tumors.
• To highlight characteristic imaging features for diagnosis and management.
• To discuss challenges in differentiating benign from malignant adrenal lesions.

Main Methods:

• Review of common and uncommon adrenal tumors using multimodality imaging.
• Emphasis on computed tomography (CT) for initial evaluation.
• Inclusion of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and functional scintigraphy for complex cases.

Main Results:

• Adrenal tumors exhibit a wide spectrum of appearances across different imaging modalities.
• Imaging characteristics are crucial for diagnosis and determining appropriate follow-up.
• Differentiating benign from malignant adrenal tumors and managing incidentalomas are key challenges.

Conclusions:

• Familiarity with adrenal tumor imaging characteristics is essential for accurate diagnosis and management.
• Multimodality imaging plays a vital role in evaluating adrenal lesions.
• Effective management strategies depend on precise characterization of adrenal tumors.