Potentialities of new radiation technologies (ultrasonography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging) in the diagnosis of endocrine diseases

In the paper providing the data available in the literature and many years' experience gained by the Department of the Moscow Regional Clinical Research Institute, the authors describe the potentialities of the currently available radiation techniques in the diagnosis of surgical endocrine diseases. The incidence of various organ dysfunctions is presented. The authors also consider the introscopic symptoms of various endocrinopathies and outline the common specific features of the ultrasound, computed tomographic, and magnetic resonance imaging pattern of individual masses (including adipose tissue cysts and tumors). Emphasis is laid on the leading role of ultrasonography (USG) in the diagnosis of thyroid and parathyroid diseases and on the priorities of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in visualIzing the abnormal thymus, mediastinally ectopic glands, and pituitary tumors. The capacities of each technique in the diagnosis of endocrine space lesions of the pancreas and adrenals are defined. The increase in the frequency of endocrine abnormalities accidentally identified at USG, CT, and MRI, which is noted in the paper, fosters the development of new trends in endocrinology and points to the need for screening surveys (particularly patients who live in poor environmental areas).