What Student Need to Know about Imaging of Endocrinal Glands In Radio Diagnosis

Endocrine organs include the pituitary and pineal glands in the brain, the thyroid and parathyroid glands (PTGs) in the neck, and the adrenal glands and endocrine pancreas in the abdomen. This chapter reviews common disorders involving some of these endocrine organs, and the most appropriate medical imaging technologies to investigate and monitor the diseases of endocrine organs. Clinically, increased thyroid hormone production is called thyrotoxicosis. Primary causes are those arising from an intrinsic thyroid disease that result in increased hormone release referred to as hyperthyroidism. While there are ultrasound features that are suspicious for thyroid cancer, the definitive diagnosis is made by sampling the nodule either by fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy or at surgical resection. Hyperparathyroidism is a diagnosis that is determined clinically through a combination of clinical history and elevated serum parathyroid hormone (PTH). Computed tomography imaging of the neck has been shown to have high a