Percutaneous injection sclerotherapy with tetracycline hydrochloride in simple renal cysts

Symptomatic simple renal cysts can be treated by combination of percutaneous aspiration and sclerotherapy. A number of sclerosing agents including glucose, phenol, iophendylate, polidocanol, minocycline and pantopaque have been used in the past to prevent reformation of cyst. In this study, tetracycline HCL solution is evaluated as a sclerosant for treatment of simple renal cysts.

Our study treated 76 cysts in 70 patients with symptomatic renal cysts. Aspiration and sclerotherapy was performed on 56 cysts, and 20 cysts aspirated without sclerotherapy as a control group. Treatment was performed under local anesthesia and punctured under ultrasound guidances with an 18-gauge needle. Tetracycline HCL (20%) was injected into the cystic cavity according to cyst diameter. All patients were followed up with an ultrasound examination at 3 months, 6 months, and then at yearly intervals. The reduction rate was estimated by a comparison of the volume of the cyst before and after treatment. A cyst reduction of 50% or greater in diamater was considered as a successful treatment.

The average follow-up period was 9.8 months in the sclerotherapy group and 9.9 months in the control group. The success rate was 85.7% in the sclerotherapy group. There was a significant difference in the reduction rate of tetracycline HCL sclerotherapy group and control group. No major complications were encountered.