ObjectiveTo determine the value of anterior displacement of the abdominal aorta, when
present at any level or only at the level of the adrenal gland,
contralateral to the mass, in diagnosing neuroblastoma on computed
tomography or magnetic resonance imaging in children up to 7 years of
age.Materials and MethodsImaging examinations of 66 patients were classified by consensus as for the
presence of anterior aorta displacement and were compared with the pathology
report.ResultsWe found anterior abdominal aorta displacement in 26 (39.39%) of the 66
patients evaluated. Among those 26 patients, we identified neuroblastoma in
22 (84.62%), nephroblastoma in 3 (11.54%), and Burkitt lymphoma in 1
(3.85%). The positive predictive value was 84.62%, and the specificity was
88.24%. The displacement of the aorta was at the adrenal level,
contralateral to the mass, in 14 cases, all of which were attributed to
neuroblastoma.ConclusionWhen the abdominal aorta is displaced at the level of the adrenal gland,
contralateral to the mass, it can be said that the diagnosis is
neuroblastoma, whereas abdominal aorta displacement occurring at other
abdominal levels has a positive predictive value for neuroblastoma of
approximately 85%.