What is a adrenal MRI?

Adrenal glands protocol is an MRI protocol comprising a group of MRI sequences put together to further assess indeterminate adrenal lesions, in particular, lipid-poor adenomas.

Can MRI detect adrenal glands?

Besides ultrasound and nuclear medicine techniques, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are commonly used to examine adrenal lesions in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Some adrenal lesions have characteristic radiological features.

Do adrenal adenomas enhance?

Adenomas, both lipid-rich and lipid-poor, rapidly wash out contrast. Non-adenomas, for instance metastases, generally enhance rapidly, but take longer to washout. A dedicated adrenal washout CT protocol consists of a non-contrast, a contrast -enhanced scan with a delay of 60-90 sec and a delayed scan at 15 minutes.

What is the MRI protocol for adrenal glands?

Adrenal glands protocol is an MRI protocol comprising a group of MRI sequences put together to further assess indeterminate adrenal lesions, in particular, lipid-poor adenomas. Note: This article is intended to outline some general principles of protocol design.

How is chemical shift MRI used for adrenal lesions?

Chemical shift imaging. Chemical shift imaging (CSI) is the mainstay of MR evaluation of solid adrenal lesions. Chemical shift MRI relies on detecting intracellular lipid in an adenoma for accurate adenoma identification. 11 Chemical shift MRI exploits the different resonant frequencies of fat and water protons in a given voxel,…

Can a gadolinium enhanced MRI characterize adrenal masses?

Little has been published regarding the utility of gadolinium-enhanced MRI in characterizing adrenal masses.

When to use Computed tomography for adrenal lesions?

Readers of MR images are often asked to further evaluate an adrenal lesion seen with another imaging modality such as computed tomography. In addition, adrenal lesions are often discovered incidentally at examinations performed for other purposes.