Small angiomyolipoma of the kidney: sonographic-CT evaluation

Small fat-containing intraparenchymal renal lesions, 0.5 to 1.3 cm in diameter, were detected by sonography and computed tomography in six patients. In five of the six cases, the lesions were found serendipitously. None of the patients underwent surgery. Follow-up studies, performed over a period of 6-24 months, showed no change in the size of the lesions. These small fat-containing nodules, hitherto unrecognized by imaging studies, are not an uncommon finding at routine autopsy. Since these lesions do not show growth in the adult population, surgical intervention does not seem to be indicated.