[Bolande's tumor: significance of its early diagnosis and treatment]

Four patients diagnosed of having a tumor of Bolande and treated at our institution in the past ten years are presented. In two of them, early diagnosis was aided by prenatal echographic techniques; the other two diagnoses were suspected ar three and ten days of age because of an abdominal mass. The four of them underwent a complete study which included: a plain abdominal film, an ultrasound scan and an intravenous urogram; the last three patients were also surveyed by a CT scan of the abdomen. Surgery was undertaken early on all the patients, the time of operation being in every instance within the first month of life. A laparotomy was performed and, once the contralateral kidney had been carefully examined, a nephroureterectomy was implemented, having been able to preserve in all the cases the suprarenal gland in view of the benign nature of the tumor. A histologic study confirmed the diagnosis and revealed the complete delimitation of the tumor by the renal capsule. The authors underscore the importance of this tumor's suspicion in the face of any solid renal mass detected by prenatal echography or in the neonatal period, since early diagnosis and treatment are imperative in order to prevent the ensuing complications in the rare and unfortunate cases that show a malignant tumoral trend.