Anatomy
TOPICS

Summary: Endocrine Imaging

1. Diabetes is a complex systemic disease that can cause nonspecific findings on imaging, such as small vessel calcification, obesity and muscle wasting, but does not typically alter the appearance of the pancreas. Pancreatic atrophy is more often a result of aging or prior pancreatitis and involves loss primarily of the exocrine tissues, not the islet cells.

2. Tumors of the pancreas can produce hormones that may include insulin, gastrin, and other secretions that may cause symptoms and abnormal blood tests. The mainstay of pancreatic imaging is CT, but MR can be used for solving problems.

3. Thyroid disease may be initially detected by physical findings or may be incidentally noted on other types of studies like CT, but the mainstay of imaging is ultrasound, with nuclear medicine studies offering quantitation of function in select cases.

4. Adrenal disease is most often evaluated with CT, with MR for solving specific problems like diagnosing benign adenomas by detection of intracellular lipid. Adrenal disease may cause increased secretion (hypertrophy, Cushings) or decreased secretion (Addisons), and ACTH may also be secreted by tumors producing hypertrophy of the adrenal glands that can be apparent on CT.

5. Pituitary imaging with MR can detect macro and microadenomas, which may be functioning (secreting such products as prolactin, growth hormone, or ACTH) or nonfunctioning, and symptoms will vary depending on the size of the mass and the level and type of secretion.