Radiomics是一个有前途的研究领域，将大数据分析（来自组织纹理分析）与临床问题相结合。我们研究了CT纹理分析在肾上腺嗜铬细胞瘤（PCCs）中的应用，以确定提取的特征与分泌模式之间的相关性，组织病理学数据,和疾病的自然史。回顾性纳入了总共17例受手术切除的PCC影响的患者。手术前,所有患者均接受了对比增强CT和完整的内分泌评估(儿茶酚胺分泌和遗传学评估).通过组织病理学检查确定嗜铬细胞瘤肾上腺评分（PASS）。重采样所有CT图像后，在所有三个阶段(未增强，动脉，和静脉)，并为每个感兴趣的体积提取58个纹理参数。使用Mann-Whitney测试,荷尔蒙分泌过多之间的相关性，病变的恶性评分（PASS>4），和纹理参数进行了研究。未增强阶段的参数DISCRETIZED_HUpeak和GLZLM_GLNU和GLZLM_SZE，常规_HUmean,常规_HUQ3，离散_HUmean，离散_AUC_CSH，GLRLM_HGRE,和GLZLM_SZHGE在静脉期能够区分分泌PCCs（p<0.01），在低和高PASS的静脉分化肿瘤中，参数GLZLM_GLNU处于未增强阶段，GLRLM_GLNU和GLRLM_RLNU。肾上腺PCCs的CT纹理分析可作为早期识别分泌性或恶性肿瘤的有用工具。
Radiomics is a promising research field that combines big data analysis (from tissue texture analysis) with clinical questions. We studied the application of CT texture analysis in adrenal pheochromocytomas (PCCs) to define the correlation between the extracted features and the secretory pattern, the histopathological data, and the natural history of the disease. A total of 17 patients affected by surgically removed PCCs were retrospectively enrolled. Before surgery, all patients underwent contrast-enhanced CT and complete endocrine evaluation (catecholamine secretion and genetic evaluation). The pheochromocytoma adrenal gland scaled score (PASS) was determined upon histopathological examination. After a resampling of all CT images, the PCCs were delineated using LifeX software in all three phases (unenhanced, arterial, and venous), and 58 texture parameters were extracted for each volume of interest. Using the Mann-Whitney test, the correlations between the hormonal hypersecretion, the malignancy score of the lesion (PASS > 4), and texture parameters were studied. The parameters DISCRETIZED_HUpeak and GLZLM_GLNU in the unenhanced phase and GLZLM_SZE, CONVENTIONAL_HUmean, CONVENTIONAL_HUQ3, DISCRETIZED_HUmean, DISCRETIZED_AUC_CSH, GLRLM_HGRE, and GLZLM_SZHGE in the venous phase were able to differentiate secreting PCCs (p < 0.01), and the parameters GLZLM_GLNU in the unenhanced phase and GLRLM_GLNU and GLRLM_RLNU in the venous differentiated tumors with low and high PASS. CT texture analysis of adrenal PCCs can be a useful tool for the early identification of secreting or malignant tumors.
