[Possibilities of diagnostic imaging in nephroblastomatosis]

Nephroblastomatosis means persisting embryonic, undifferentiated cells of renal blastoma which may give rise to a nephroblastoma. The foci of nephroblastomatosis create intrarenal nodi or a subcapsular border. The present scanning methods make it possible to correctly differentiate nephroblastomatosis in most cases and to differentiate it from most lesions previously hard to recognize from each other, while CT and arteriography represent the most sensitive methods. The main problem of differential diagnosis is still to differentiate nephroblastomatosis from nephroblastoma. For solving this problem it is frequently necessary to use more diagnostic methods including invasive arteriography and biopsy. It is the only way to prevent damage of the child by incorrect and most by too radical therapy. For the danger of the development of nephroblastoma even after regression of nephroblastomatosis in the X-ray picture a long-term observation is necessary, the ultrasound examination being the method of choice.