Solid Renal Tumors Isoenhancing to Kidneys on Contrast-Enhanced Sonography: Differentiation From Pseudomasses

To estimate the prevalence of solid renal tumors isoenhancing to kidneys in all vascular phases on contrast-enhanced sonography and to investigate whether they can be differentiated from pseudomasses.

A computer search of the databases of 3 institutions identified 31 patients with pseudomasses and 380 patients with solid tumors investigated with contrast-enhanced sonography. Nineteen of 380 (5%) patients had tumors isoenhancing in all phases. Images and clips of these 19 tumors and the 31 pseudomasses were blindly assessed by 2 radiologists. They were asked to differentiate tumors from pseudomasses based on echogenicity, vascular architecture, and the presence of the medulla.

Isoenhancing tumors were clear cell carcinomas (n = 7), angiomyolipomas (n = 3), papillary tumors (n = 3), metastasis (n = 1), and oncocytoma (n = 1). In the 4 nonoperated tumors, the diagnosis was confirmed by progression during the follow-up. There were 3 markedly hyperechoic, 11 mildly hypo/hyperechoic, and 5 isoechoic masses. Most pseudomasses were isoechoic to kidneys (23 of 31), with the medulla identified in 22 of 31 and 15 of 31 by radiologists 1 and 2, respectively. One and 2 pseudomasses were considered tumors by radiologists 1 and 2, respectively. One isoechoic isoenhancing tumor was not identified on contrast-enhanced sonography. Isoenhancing tumors in all phases were differentiated from pseudomasses by combining grayscale and contrast-enhanced sonography (areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.997 for reader 1; 0.969 for reader 2), with very good inter-reader agreement (weighted κ = 0.81).

In our retrospective study, 5% of solid renal lesions were isoenhancing to kidneys in all phases. Differentiation from pseudomasses was possible by looking at baseline sonographic features and vascular characteristics.