ABSTRACT
Objective · To explore the features of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) image of adrenal cortical adenoma and cortical hyperplasia nodules (size greater than 10 mm) and its diagnostic value. Methods · Fifty cases of adrenal cortical adenoma and 22 cases of cortical hyperplasia nodules which were confirmed by pathology were retrospectively analyzed. The conventional ultrasound and CEUS features were recorded, including the size, border, arrival time, peak time, wash-out time, enhancement degree [hypo, hyper (iso-) ], enhancement pattern (peripheral to central, overall, and nonspecific), etc. Results · There was no significant differences between two groups among conventional ultrasonic features. Multi-parameters of CEUS images analysis results showed that the wash-out time of cortical adenomas were significantly longer than the cortical hyperplasia nodules (P=0.002), the under area of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.694, had the 75.7％ sensitivity and 53.3％ specificity with the cutoff of 42 s.Conclusion · There is no significant difference between the adrenal cortical adenoma and cortex hyperplasia nodules in CEUS pattern, but it still can provide certain information for differentiation.