[Multidetector computed tomography in the diagnosis of parathyroid adenomas: contribution of contrast enhancement pattern to diagnosis].

PURPOSE: Contrast enhancement patterns of parathyroid adenomas in the arterial and venous phases were evaluated with multidetector computed tomography and specificity of the method to characterize the lesions was investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Arterial and venous enhancement patterns of parathyroid adenomas were evaluated retrospectively with multidetector computed tomography in 12 patients. All adenomas were removed surgically and the diagnosis was confirmed histopathologically. An area from the mandibular angle to the aortic arch was scanned with 1.5 mm section thickness in the arterial phase (20 seconds delay time) and venous phase (70 seconds delay time) after bolus injection of 50 ml of iodinated contrast media. Arterial and venous contrast enhancement of parathyroid adenomas was evaluated in the axial and coronal reformat images. RESULTS: Ten (83.3%) of 12 parathyroid adenomas showed a heterogeneous enhancement with a hypodense small central area in the arterial phase and a homogeneous enhancement in the venous phase. However, two small lesions, four and five mm in diameter respectively, showed homogeneous contrast enhancement in the arterial phase unlike the larger lesions which displayed a hypodense center in this phase. CONCLUSION: Dynamic scanning with multidetector computed tomography after contrast administration may be helpful in characterizing parathyroid adenomas.