Abstract
The adrenal scintigram was performed after administration of [19-131I]cholesterol. A high/low ratio of both adrenal glands was calculated to evaluate whether there is a difference between the left and right sides in adrenal diseases. During scanning, information was stored in a 64×64 matrix and then punched out on a computer compatible paper tape. This paper tape was processed with a small digital computer. The areas of interest were selected over adrenal glands. The computer decided mean counts per unit area. After subtraction of back-ground counts, a high/low ratio of adrenal gland was calculated. In five patients with Cushing's syndrome due to bilateral hyperplasia, a high/low ratio ranged from 1.0 to 2.0. In four patients with primary aldosteronism due to adenoma, a high/low ratio ranged from 1.33 to 4.0. This method may be useful to differentiate bilateral hyperplasia from unilateral adrenocortical adenoma.
