There are many clinical causes of left adrenal gland thickening, so determining whether CT shows left adrenal gland thickening is serious or not needs to be based on the actual situation and cannot be generalized. Adrenal function needs to be evaluated to decide whether conservative or surgical treatment is needed next.
Left adrenal gland thickening is mainly a medical imaging term, which shows that one side of the patient’s adrenal gland is obviously thickened on CT or ultrasound.
Most patients find it when they have an inadvertent CT and do not have an abnormal secretion of adrenal function, or hypoadrenalism. Adrenal gland thickening requires caution in the presence of excessive secretion of adrenal hormones, such as aldosterone, cortisol, and gonadal hormones, which can lead to disorders such as primary aldosteronism and Cushing’s syndrome.
The function of the enlarged adrenal glands can be determined by monitoring blood cortisol levels, 24-hour urine cortisol, aldosterone and renin ratios in both the vertical and horizontal positions. If the adrenal glands are not functional, CT of the adrenal glands should be repeated periodically to see the changes in the degree of thickening, and if they are functional, treatment should be carried out, including oral medication and surgical treatment.
It is recommended that people whose CT shows that the left adrenal gland is enlarged should have further examination to clarify the specific cause and cooperate with doctors for active treatment if necessary.