Should a patient present various indicative symptoms of adrenal adenoma, there are several ways to determine as to whether this condition is the root cause. These methods will usually revolve around two main tasks: a comprehensive blood and urine test and various imaging techniques. Let us take a look at some of these diagnostic tools, how they work and how effective they are at identifying a benign or (rarely) malignant tumour that is associated with adrenal adenoma.
By its very definition, an adrenal adenoma will often exhibit tell-tale signs of the excess secretion of certain hormones including cortisol and some that are related to testosterone. So, a pathologist will normally request blood work to be performed on one that is suspected to have such elevated levels (this will be determined from an interpretation of the various external symptoms).
However, another popular method is by the analysis of urine over a twenty-four to a thirty-six hour time period. As with the blood, urine may also contain indicators of an excess buildup of certain hormones, as many of these chemicals will survive the excretion process through the kidneys.
Another extremely effective technique is for a patient to undergo one of these thorough and highly detailed scans. These machines use the power of magnets to highlight the various soft tissues of the body including the internal organs. This technique is very useful at discerning any anomalies that may be present. An adrenal adenoma may be found by accident during these tests when scanning for another condition.
A thin tube is inserted into the left and right adrenal gland. This will serve to measure the hormone outputs involved. One of the main purposes of this test is to determine as to whether one or both adrenal glands are producing hormones (there are cases in adrenal adenoma where one may be producing more than another, or not at all).
This is often associated with the aforementioned MRI. If the primary results are inconclusive, a dye may be injected into the area where there is a suspected benign growth. Upon further imaging, this dye will stay in the tumour. This is particularly useful of the growths are relatively small and may not be visible on a normal scan.
As opposed to magnetic imaging, this technique instead utilises the power of sound. These audio waves are emitted into the region of the kidneys and adrenal glands. These waves will then bounce back and a computer will interpret them into visual data. In more common terms, this method can be considered to be similar to sonar technology that is used in the maritime industry.
PET is an acronym for Positron Emission Tomography. All technicalities aside, this technique will often be used in the rare case that a benign tumour has been found to be malignant. Not only will this gauge this situation, but PET scans are also quite useful in helping to discover as to whether the malignancy has spread to other areas of the body.
These are some of the most common diagnostic procedures that are used to help discover, diagnose and treat an adrenal adenoma. They may be used exclusively, but it is more common that two or more diagnostic methods are employed together.