Computed tomography of renal lymphoma

The CT studies of 29 patients with renal or perirenal lymphoma were retrospectively reviewed. Four patterns of disease were identified. Seventeen of 29 patients (59%) had bilateral renal masses. Only seven of these patients had associated enlarged retroperitoneal lymph nodes. Eight patients (28%) had single renal or perirenal lesions adjacent to or contiguous with bulky retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy. Three patients had infiltration of the perirenal space without significant renal parenchymal involvement, and one patient had a solitary renal mass. No patients in this series had diffuse involvement of the kidney without a focal mass. Renal involvement with lymphoma should be considered in any patient who develops multiple homogeneous solid renal or perirenal masses, even in the absence of other retroperitoneal disease.