Adrenal Glands

Size and Shape
Cross section of the arenals showing gracile limbs in the shape of a chicken bone.
Each limb is about the width of the crus of the diaphragm.
The inner medulla is colored in red and the outer cortex in yellow.
Ashley Davidoff MD 2018
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Wishbone Shape of the Adrenal Gland
In general the adrenal glands are triangular in shape and are reminiscent of the shape of the “wishbone” or the breast bone of the chicken.
Courtesy of: Ashley Davidoff, M.D.
Wishbone Shape on the CT scan
The right adrenal gland, in this case, looks exactly like the inserted drawing of the “wishbone”. This represents the typical appearance of the glands – the right long and thin, and the left short and stout. The bright red overlays represent some of the branches of the adrenal arteries.Courtesy of: Ashley Davidoff, M.D.