Radiology, Vol 165, 89-93, Copyright © 1987 by Radiological Society of North America
Pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma: comparison of MR imaging with CT and I-131 MIBG scintigraphy
LE Quint, GM Glazer, IR Francis, B Shapiro and TL Chenevert
To ascertain the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging characteristics of
pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas and to compare MR with computed
tomography (CT) and iodine-131 metaiodobenzylguanidine (I-131 MIBG), 19
patients (18 with pheochromocytomas, one with a paraganglioma) were
studied. The 18 patients with pheochromocytomas had had positive findings
with I-131 MIBG scintigraphy. Abdominal pheochromocytomas were generally
hypointense compared with normal liver on T1-weighted MR images and
extremely hyperintense on T2-weighted MR images. MR imaging was preferable
to CT in the evaluation of primary pheochromocytomas due to superior tissue
characterization, particularly in the patient with hypertension and
borderline catecholamine levels. For patients with recurrent or metastatic
disease, the data suggest that I-131 MIBG scintigraphy is the examination
of choice.
