The sonographic appearance of the normal adrenal gland in children varies with age. In newborns, the cortex is large and hypoechoic, whereas the medulla is relatively small and hyperechoic. With increasing age, the cortex becomes smaller and the medulla relatively larger. The cortex remains hypoechoic and the medulla hyperechoic until age 5-6 months, by which time the gland has become hyperechoic and smaller, with poor or absent sonographic differentiation between cortex and medulla. After 1 year of age, the appearance of the gland is similar to that of the adult gland, with straight or concave borders and a hypoechoic character. Indexing Words:
Recent advances in instrumentation have extended the usefulness of ultrasonography to the diagnosis of pediatric diseases, including disorders of the adrenal glands.ly2 We herein report the results of an investigation to determine the sonographic appearance of the adrenal glands related to age. This change in the appearance of the gland according to the patient's age is probably more useful than actual measurement of the gland. Measurements are more valuable in indicating the wide range of the normal adrenal size in children.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
During the past 2 years, adrenal ultrasonography was performed on a total of 75 subjects ranging in From the