Abstract：Objective To investigate the characteristics of adenoids in young males based on MRI observation.Methods The brain magnetic resonance images of 1547 young men who got health check-up in Zhejiang Provincial Corps Hospital of Chinese People's Armed Police Force from June 2021 to May 2022 were retrospectively analyzed to observe whether there were adenoids in the posterior wall of the nasopharynx, their MR signal characteristics, and general morphology, and the maximum thickness of the adenoids was measured.Results Residual adenoids could be observed in 93.92% of the young men, with an average maximum thickness of (7.66±2.80)mm and a median maximum thickness of 7.32 (5.58, 9.25) mm. The maximum thickness of the adenoids spanned from 5.00 mm to less than 10 mm, accounting for 66.62%. On MRI images, the adenoids appeared as soft tissue masses in the posterior wall of the nasopharyngeal roof, showing long T2 signal, the mucosa was continuous and complete, the signal was uniform, and the signal was symmetrical. No abnormal changes in bone or cysts could be seen in the adenoids. According to the MRI mid-sagittal shapes of residual adenoids, there were mainly four types: sickle shape (241 cases), crescent shape (601 cases), D shape (501 cases), spindle shape (110 cases), among which crescent-shape and D-shape were the most common, and the spindle shape was the largest, with an average maximum thickness of (12.53±3.03)mm.Conclusions Residual adenoids can be found in the posterior wall of the nasopharynx in most young men. The differential diagnosis is not difficult with the characteristics of symmetrical masses and no invasion of adjacent tissues. The mid-sagittal MRI can accurately observe the adenoid morphology and accurately measure its thickness, providing comprehensive and intuitive imaging information for clinical use.
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