Imaging of Nontraumatic Adrenal Hemorrhage

Abstract

The purpose of this pictorial essay is to review the imaging findings of acute, chronic, and tumor-related nontraumatic adrenal hemorrhage. Rapid development or evolution of a nonenhancing adrenal mass or masses with an adreniform shape or high T1 signal intensity on MR images of a patient under stress or with a bleeding diathesis, including anticoagulant use, suggests acute adrenal hemorrhage. Chronic hemorrhage appears as a thin-walled pseudocyst or atrophy. Imaging findings that may indicate underlying tumor include intralesional calcification, enhancement, and hypermetabolic activity on PET images.