Objective To measure volume and other parameters of normal adrenal glands in Chinese adults with 64-slice multidetector CT

to evaluate the relationship of volume result with age

sex and body size

and to explore the correlations between adrenal volume and other measurements. Methods This study was based on 125 acquired contrast-enhanced upper abdominal CT scans performed with a 64-slice CT. The final study group consisted of 81 patients (49 males

32 females). Portal venous phase images were studied for the measurements. Both the reconstruction interval and thickness were 1.5 mm. Each adrenal gland was outlined manually with computer-assistant technology to calculate its volume. The maximal sectional area

length

width and thickness of each adrenal gland were also measured. Results The mean age of total population was 47.9±13.0 (range: 20-76) years. The left

right

and total adrenal gland volumes were 4.23±0.74 (range: 2.85-5.83) cm3

4.26±0.86 (2.59-6.56) cm3

and 8.50±1.40 (5.80-11.39) cm3

respectively. These volumes increased with weight (r=0.381

0.389

and 0.437 respectively

all P<0.001)

height (r=0.386

P<0.001; r=0.297

P=0.007; r=0.384

P<0.001) and body surface area (r=0.406

0.392

and 0.452

all P<0.001). There was no significant difference in left

right or total adrenal volume with regard to sex after applying General Linear Model procedure to reduce the impact of weight (F=1.304

0.064

and 0.597

all P>0.05)

nor did volume change significantly with age (r=-0.033

-0.014

and -0.026

all P>0.05). Nearly all descriptors of bilateral adrenal glands correlated with ipsilateral volume except thickness (r=-0.027

P=0.814) and width (r=0.166

P=0.138) in the left side. Among these parameters

length had a stronger correlation with volume than others in the both left (r=0.412

P<0.001) and right (r=0.516

P<0.001) adrenal glands. Conclusion Our study has defined the volume distribution and other parameters of normal adrenal glands in Chinese adults

which provide a baseline for future studies.