5(10)-en-3β-ol scintigraphy showed high uptake in the adrenal gland leading to a misdiagnosis

ADRENAL-SPECIFIC RADIOLIGAND, 131I-6β-iodomethyl-19norcholest-5(10)-en-3β-ol (131I-adosterol)1 was developed in the 1970s. Increased uptake of the agent in tumor regardless of visualization of the contralateral gland suggests that the adrenal mass is usually a benign cortical adenoma.2 This agent has the potency to diagnose lesions of the adrenal cortex and has been widely used to diagnose lesions which are derived from adrenal gland.3,4 However, this agent has some pitfalls when used for diagnosis and we sometimes encounter patients whose scintigraphic findings are not consistent with their clinical ones. We experienced a patient who had an adrenal gland tumor derived from adrenal medulla in whom 131I-adosterol scintigraphy showed high uptake in the adrenal gland. Here, we report a patient with ganglioneuroma whose 131I-adosterol scintigraphy showed high uptake in the adrenal gland resulting in a misdiagnosis.