Giovanna Bertolini T.F., Michele Drigo, Marco Caldin,

Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound, 2008. 49(5): p.449-453.

We conducted a retrospective study to determine whether multidetector computed tomography (CT) could be of value for adrenal gland assessment in dogs with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism. Adrenal gland attenuation and volume values of 49 dogs with hyperadrenocorticism were recorded and age, body weight, and gender were examined to determine if a relationship existed between these variables and adrenal gland morphology. There was not a statistically significant difference in mean X-ray attenuation of the left vs. right adrenal gland in normal dogs (35.3±6.1†HU), or in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism. The mean adrenal X-ray attenuation (± standard deviation [SD]) in dogs with microadenoma was 33.1±6.8 vs. 31.8±12.7†HU for dogs with macroadenoma, and these values were not statistically different. The mean volume of the left adrenal gland in normal dogs (0.59±0.17†cm3) was greater than that of the right adrenal gland (0.54±0.19†cm3) (P<0.05). The mean CT volume (±SD) of the adrenal glands in dogs with microadenoma vs. macroadenoma were 1.60±1.25 vs. 2.88±1.60†cm3, respectively. There was no effect of age or gender on adrenal gland morphology or X-ray attenuation. The weight effect was the most important source of variation for the volume measurement in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism.