Radiology, Vol 157, 431-436, Copyright © 1985 by Radiological Society of North America
Surface coil MR imaging of abdominal viscera. Part II. The adrenal glands
EM White, RR Edelman, DD Stark, JF Simeone, PR Mueller, TJ Brady, J Wittenberg, RJ Butch and JT Ferrucci Jr
Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the adrenal glands with a prototype
surface coil was compared with conventional body coil images in five
healthy volunteers and 15 patients with adrenal disease. The spectrum of
abnormalities included five nonfunctioning cortical adenomas, of which two
were in hyperplastic glands, four adrenal metastases, three
pheochromocytomas, a functioning adenoma, a myelolipoma, and a partially
calcified, cystic adrenal mass. In both body and surface coil images,
anatomic detail was superior on T1-weighted images compared with
T2-weighted images obtained with identical imaging time because of
decreased motion artifact and superior contrast. In the T1-weighted
studies, high-resolution surface coil images showed a threefold improvement
in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) over body coil images, which was manifest by
better intrinsic resolution of small adrenal lesions and clearer definition
of the extrinsic relationships of large masses to nearby organs. In
addition, inferior vena caval invasion by two right adrenal metastases was
better demonstrated using the surface coil than body coil MR or computed
tomography (CT). Limitations of surface coil imaging include restriction in
the field of view to a single gland and additional time required for
patient positioning. Since the sensitivity of surface coils diminishes with
depth, gains in SNR were limited in large patients with deeper adrenal
glands. Despite these limitations, dramatic improvements in SNR and
anatomic resolution indicate that surface coil MR imaging will be
competitive with CT for examining the adrenal glands.
