A pilot study to assess the feasibility of measurement of adrenal gland volume by magnetic resonance imaging

作者：Grant Lee A^*; Napolitano Antonella; Miller Sam; Stephens Kimberley; McHugh Simon M; Dixon Adrian K

来源：Acta Radiologica, 2010, 51(1): 117-120.

DOI：10.3109/02841850903352620

Purpose: To determine whether MR imaging could be used to measure adrenal volume, and to determine the intra- and interobserver variation and repeatability of MR volume imaging of adrenals in healthy human subjects.
Material and Methods: This was a single-cohort, sequential design, three-part study involving four MRI examinations per subject following ethical approval and informed consent. Information was collected on four healthy subjects (three male and one female). Two different investigators estimated the area of the adrenal gland for each of the 3-mm contiguous slices (and consequently adrenal volume). In order to estimate inter- and intrareader variability, a repeated-measures mixed model was fitted with adrenal volume as the dependent variable. In order to estimate any bias between readers, Bland-Altman methodology was applied.
Results: Intraobserver variation for adrenal gland volume is approximately 5% of a 3-cmConclusion: Analysis of adrenal gland volume using MRI is a potentially reliable technique that could be used to assess a pathological change in adrenal size.

• 出版日期2010-2