How reliable is an ultrasound scan?

Ultrasound scan for adrenals reliable?

• i had a UltraSound scan recently on abdomen to investigate weight loss, hormones abnormalities etc Ultrasound showed my kidneys, liver, spleen, the sonographer said they were all normal. adrenal glands were not prominent which she said was a good thing and it looked all clear. she couldnt quite see the ovaries so i had to get a transvaginal one as she looked for pcos it confirmed cysts on ovaries. the doctor (endocrinologist) skimmed over the ultrasound result really and said it was normal but then as i was asking questions, at the end the doctor ordered an MRI scan, "just to show that its normal", i felt he was just doing it to show that there was nothing as he said "in these cases nothing is found on the adrenals" i really dont want to go as ive heard bad stories about their effects and dont want to put my body through the powerful magentic rays. he's requested it to test my adrenals glands, but if the ultrasound said everything including my liver, spleen, kidneys etc was clear and fine then im wondering why is it good enough for those organs? why do i need an MRI for adrenals and not to check these other organs, why cant it be taken it that they are all normal? help? im worried i really dont want to go i feel i will have to cancel and its tomorrow :0( would an adrenal mass in a person who had it not show upon an ultrasound?

• Answer:

  There is no real evidence to suggest that being exposed to a high magnetic field during an MRI, poses any long term risk to health. They are quite safe. There is of course only so much an ultrasound can detect. Has he done an adrenal function test? Were your cortisol levels abnormal or something? He likely just wants to make sure nothing has been missed. No, tumours would likely not show up on the ultrasound as it would likely be quite tiny.