Table 4.
Imaging characteristics of adrenocortical adenomas versus adrenocortical carcinomas and metastases
| Imaging characteristic | Adrenocortical adenoma (n = 36) | Adrenocortical carcinoma (n = 35) | P value | Adrenal metastases (n = 12) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largest dimension (cm) | 4.6 (0.7- 9.7) | 1.5 (2.2-19.3) | <.001 | 4.6 (3.6-11.1) | .156 |
| Well-defined margins (%) | 36/36 (100%) | 25/35 (71%) | <.001 | 10/12 (83%) | .059 |
| Homogeneous (%) | 5/36 (14%) | 4/35 (11%) | 1.000 | 2/12 (17%) | 1.000 |
| CT washout >60% (%) | 1/3 (33%) | 3/3 (100%) | .400 | 0/2 (0%) | 1.000 |
| Calcifications (%) | 11/36 (31%) | 12/35 (34%) | .934 | 0/12 (0%) | .044 |
| Cyst/necrosis (%) | 14/36 (39%) | 27/35 (77%) | .003 | 8/12 (67%) | .111 |
| Macroscopic fat (%) | 10/36 (28%) | 1/35 (3%) | .006 | 1/12 (8%) | .248 |
| Adrenal lesion SUVmax, median (range) | 4.0 (1.6-28.6) | 13 (3.9-7.9) | <.001 | 13.2 (2.3-51.5) | .021 |
| Liver SUV ratio, median (range) | 1.4 (1.0-18.1) | 6.1 (1.3-3.1) | <.001 | 6.7 (.9-2.3) | .007 |
| PET-CT positive based on liver SUV ratio >2.5 (%) | 10/36 (14%) | 32/35 (91%) | <.001 | 8/12 (67%) | .001 |
| Blood pool SUV ratio, median (range) | 2.2 (1.2–21.2) | 7.3 (1.5-39.1) | <.001 | 7.7 (1.2-27.4) | .013 |
| Blood pool SUV ratio >3.4 (%) | 5/36 (14%) | 31/35 (89%) | <.001 | 8/12 (67%) | .001 |