[Acquired renal cysts in maintenance dialysis patients]

Ultrasonographic examination of the kidneys of 111 patients on long term maintenance hemodialysis was performed. None of the patients had genuine polycystic kidney disease. In many patients acquired cysts were found. Frequency and volume of these cysts were the same on the right and left side. There was no correlation between the age of the patients and the number of cysts. There were no differences concerning sex and type of primary renal disease. There was a significant positive correlation between time on maintenance hemodialysis and number of cysts but no correlation between number of cysts and hemoglobin concentration. This is in contrast to data in the literature. Clinical relevance of acquired kidney cysts in dialysis patients concerns hematuria, retroperitoneal bleeding, kidney stone formation, septicemia and malignancy.