The diagnostic value of ultrasound in cystic kidney diseases
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 30, 2026

Point-of-Care Kidney and Genitourinary Ultrasound in Adults: Image Acquisition
Published on: June 21, 2024
Udo Vester1, Birgitta Kranz, Peter F Hoyer
1Children's Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstr 55, 45122, Essen, Germany. udo.vester@uk-essen.de
Abstract:
Renal cysts in childhood can be found in a variety of diseases, which can be congenital or acquired, or renal cysts may be part of a multiorgan disease or restricted to the kidneys only. Ultrasonography is the first-line diagnostic tool and is informative in many cases. However, there is a broad spectrum in the sonographic appearance of renal cysts, and family or genetic studies, a search for extrarenal organ involvement, or additional imaging modalities may be required to make a definitive diagnosis. The aim of this article is to summarize the diagnostic potential and limitations of ultrasonography and depict typical examples of the most important cystic entities.
Related Concept Videos
Imaging Studies II: Ultrasonography
Ultrasound II: Endoscopic Ultrasound and FibroScan
Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS):
Ultrasonography
During an ultrasonography procedure, a handheld device called a...
Imaging Studies VI: Voiding Cystourethrography and Cystography
Imaging Studies I: Kidney, Ureter, and Bladder Studies
Imaging Studies V: Intravenous Urography and Retrograde Pyelography
