Adrenal gland enhancement at MR imaging with Mn-DPDP.

Purpose: To determine adrenal gland enhancement with manganese (II) N,N' dipyridoxylethylenediamine-N,N'-diacetate 5,5'bis(phosphate) (DPDP) at magnetic resonance imaging.

Materials And Methods: After phase III trials, fat-suppressed, motion-compensated, T1-weighted spin-echo images (repetition time, 500 msec; echo time, 12 msec) of 13 consecutive patients were obtained at 1.5 T at one site, prior to and approximately 30 minutes after intravenous administration of 5 mumol/kg Mn-DPDP. Images were analyzed visually and by means of region-of-interest measurements, normalized to spleen. With data added from three more sites, enhancement of three adrenal adenomas and two metastases was analyzed.

Results: Twenty-five of 26 adrenal glands were depicted on MR images, and all showed enhancement. Mean adrenal enhancement (38%) was comparable to mean enhancement of liver (46%), pancreas (25%), and renal cortex (58%). Adrenal cortex and medulla could not be distinguished in nonenhanced or enhanced images. All three adrenal adenomas enhanced by more than 40%, but the metastases did not enhance.

Conclusion: Functioning adrenal tissue (glands and at least some adenomas) are enhanced with Mn-DPDP.