[Ultrasonography of the adrenals--limits of a real time scanner (author's transl)].

Sonography is an efficient, non invasive diagnostic tool in evaluating pathological enlargement of the adrenals. In 11 out of 27 patients, who had adrenal sonography, a tumor diagnosis was established. In 7 patients the sonographic findings and diagnosis were proved by scintigraphy, surgery and histology. With conventional ultrasound technique one cannot see the normal and nodular hyperplastic adrenal. At the same time we believe, tumors smaller than 2.5 cm cannot be diagnosed accurately in general. Some problems of adrenal sonography could be eliminated with most recent ultrasound technology. (Grayscale processing, scan converter system, electronically focused transducers with higher frequencies). In future patients with pathologies in the adrenals can be evaluated non-invasive and definitely by ultrasound and computerized tomography.