[Comprehensive ultrasound study in surgical diseases of the adrenals]

Combined staged ultrasonic examination of 53 patients with surgical diseases of the adrenals (Icenko--Cushing's disease and hormonally active tumors) included preoperative transcutaneous ultrasonic examination, ultrasound-monitored spot fine needle aspiration biopsy, intraoperative and postoperative ultrasonic examinations. Transcutaneous ultrasonic examination was found to be little informative in Icenko--Cushing's disease, whereas in adrenal tumors it was virtually as sensitive as computer-aided tomography. Ultrasound-monitored spot fine needle aspiration biopsy proved to be a highly informative safe method, which helps morphologically diagnose the disease before surgery. Intraoperative ultrasonic examination helped reduce the surgical trauma in all the cases, and in patients with Icenko--Cushing's disease it gave an idea of the type of morphologic changes in the removed adrenal. Ultrasonic monitoring of tissue status at the site of intervention helped timely detect the postoperative complications.