What an MRI Might Tell You About Your Adrenal Glands
The two adrenal glands, located just above your kidneys, work hard to secrete and regulate vital hormones in your body. But when excessive or inhibited hormone production by these tiny organs occurs, a multitude of health issues may arise.
Benign tumors in the adrenal glands, called adrenal adenomas, have the potential to cause disruptions in the endocrine system (which regulates all biological processes in your body). Functional (activated) adrenal adenomas are usually benign, although some are capable of becoming cancerous.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans, among other imaging modalities, are helpful in monitoring and diagnosing adrenal masses such as adenomas before they become malignant.
What an MRI of the Adrenal Glands Is
An MRI of the adrenal glands involves using magnetic resonance imaging to scan the patient’s abdomen and examine adrenal masses.
The scan takes about an hour. It utilizes magnetic fields and gradient-echo sequences to generate images of body structures and provide characterization of adrenal masses.
Adrenal glands and adrenal lesions are well-visualized in abdominal MRI scans. A radiologist may inject a contrast enhancement dye into the patient to enhance the imaging results.
MRI is used to both diagnose and differentiate between malignant and benign adrenal lesions, also known as adrenal adenomas. Differentiation between adrenal lesions is crucial to oncology patients, as it directly affects prognosis and treatment. An adrenal glands protocol is a set of MRI sequences that assess indeterminate lesions in the adrenal glands.
The fat surrounding the adrenal glands supports adrenal imaging by providing contrast enhancement to adrenal masses. Cross-sectional imaging, such as an axial or coronal magnetic resonance imaging scan, helps medical professionals visualize and diagnose adrenal issues.
Adrenal gland MRI for inspecting adrenal adenomas is safe and highly effective. Compared to enhanced computed tomography (CT) scans, it is often considered the first choice in imaging for young patients and breastfeeding mothers.
Did You Know?
The specific type of MRI scan used to examine adrenal masses is called chemical shift MR imaging. Chemical shift MR imaging is a fat-suppression technique used to detect the presence of intralesional fat and is complementary to routine imaging. Chemical shift MR imaging aids in diagnosing and differentiating between various musculoskeletal pathologies.
Why You Might Need To Get an MRI of the Adrenal Glands
An adrenal MRI becomes important when the results of a CT scan of the adrenal adenomas are inconclusive. Imaging findings from an MRI may be more accurate than CT scans and CT images in identifying certain cancers. This enhanced accuracy results from MR imaging’s ability to provide greater soft tissue contrast.
Because tumors of the pituitary gland (situated at the base of your brain) may cause similar symptoms as adrenal cancer, an MRI may also be used to examine the brain.
What an MRI of the Adrenal Glands Can Detect
MRI can evaluate adrenal lesions in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients.
Adrenal lesions, or pathological changes in the organ such as a tumor or neoplasm, may be seen as adrenal adenomas or adrenal masses on an MR image. These lesions may represent benign conditions (such as adrenal adenoma, pheochromocytoma, cyst, cystic lymphangioma, or myelolipoma) or malignant conditions(such as adrenal metastases, adrenal cortical carcinoma).
Adrenal MR imaging involves chemical shift MR imaging (CSI), which helps the radiologist detect intra-tumor fat, differentiating between lipid-poor adenomas and lipid-rich adenomas.
As gradient-echo sequencing results in more precise imaging features, high-signal intensity and low signal intensity imaging findings advance proper characterization of adrenal masses.
Where are the Adrenal Glands Located?
You have two adrenal glands — one located at the top of each kidney. They are small, yellowish, triangular-shaped soft tissue organs. As part of your body’s endocrine system, they produce catecholamines such as dopamine, epinephrine (adrenaline), and norepinephrine. These hormones aid in metabolism regulation, proper immune function, and blood pressure regulation.
The adrenal gland is divided into two parts. The adrenal medulla is at the center of the gland, while the adrenal cortex forms the outer part.
Disorders and Diseases of the Adrenal Glands
Adrenal gland disorders happen when either the left adrenal gland or right adrenal gland ceases to function as it should. These disorders are classified as either too much or too little hormone production.
Adrenal disorders arise from disease, genetic mutation, tumor, or infection. They can also be linked to abnormalities in other glands, such as the pituitary gland.
Common or well-known diseases of the adrenals include:
- Cushing’s syndrome: Resulting from an adrenal, pituitary, or ectopic tumor leading to abnormal levels of cortisol hormone production. Symptoms may include skin problems such as acne, upper-body obesity, high blood pressure, and muscular weakness.
- Pheochromocytoma: A tumor that develops in the adrenal medulla, causing high levels of adrenaline production, leading to headaches, excessive sweating, tremors of the hands, or even psychiatric disturbances.
- Adrenocortical Carcinoma: Tumors forming in the cortex of the adrenal glands, producing hormones that control male and female traits and body functions.
- Addison’s disease: Also known as adrenal insufficiency, occurs when the adrenals produce too little cortisol or too little aldosterone. Symptoms typically include weight loss, extreme fatigue, patches of darker skin, and depression.
Less common or secondary diseases related to the adrenal glands include adrenal hemorrhage, inferior vena cava syndrome, and adrenal lymphoma.
Additional Testing for Adrenal Disorders
Besides an MRI scan, other diagnostic and imaging tests may aid the characterization of adrenal masses, like:
- Blood and Urine tests: Used to screen for pheochromocytoma, Cushing’s syndrome, and primary hyperaldosteronism. Your health practitioner may request for adrenal hormones to be produced normally.
- X-ray: To determine whether cancer may have spread to the surrounding chest area or blood vessels.
- CT scan: A CT scan examines for cancerous lesions throughout the body and may help determine whether surgery for adrenal cancer is necessary.
- Ultrasound: Inspects metastatic adrenal nodules for malignancy and spread.
- Biopsy: By inspecting a tissue sample from the adrenal glands, a doctor may be able to determine the cause of adrenal cancer.
MRI of the Adrenal Gland: Diagnosis vs. Prevention
Unfortunately, you cannot prevent cancer. The good news is that screening tests can find some cancers early.
Making healthy lifestyle choices and conducting regular checkups of the whole body leads to long-lasting health.