Value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound and enhancement patterns in the diagnosis of adrenal tumors

Objective To explore the value of real time contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in differential diagnosis of benign and malignant adrenal lesions.Methods Totally,57 adrenal lesions (26malignant and 31 benign) underwent conventional ultrasound and real-time CEUS.The enhancement patterns including types of time-intensity curve,centripetal fill-in,homogeneity and intensity of enhancement were analyzed.Results The enhancement pattern of normal adrenal gland was homogeneous,centrifugal and rapid perfusion from the medulla to the cortex.Four enhancement patterns were significantly different between benign and malignant adrenal lesions (P ＜0.05).If enhancement in the early arterial phase and rapid washout was suggestive of malignancy,the sensitivity and specificity of CEUS were 96.2％ and 77.4％,respectively.If peripheral to central filling was suggestive of malignancy,the sensitivity and specificity of CEUS were 76.9 ％ and 80.7 ％,respectively.Conclusions The patterns of real-time CEUS are helpful in differential diagnosis of malignant and benign adrenal lesions. Key words: Ultrasonography; Microbubbles; Adrenal gland neoplasms