[Tumors detected in renal ultrasonic screening]

A program of rapid mass screening of kidneys was conducted with ultrasound for initial detection of renal and the adjacent organ abnormalities in school children and neonates in Taipei area from March 1987 to December 1990. More than a half million population were examined and the frequency of the abnormality was approximately 0.5%. Of the patients 22 had a tumor, including 13 boys and 9 girls. Age ranges were from neonate to 15 years. The tumor site for 19 patients was in the retroperitoneal space, 6 cases from the kidney, 3 cases from the adrenal gland, 1 case from the pancreas, and 9 cases from retroperitoneal tissue. The other three cases had tumor in the mediastinum, ovary or bladder. In this series, 20 cases received surgery. Pathological examination revealed 8 cases to be malignant, and 12 to be benign lesions. This experience would seem to indicate that rapid renal ultrasonic mass screening may be useful for early detection and management of tumors of the kidney and its adjacent organs.