[Incidentally discovered masses: diagnostic and therapeutic features]

The term "incidentaloma", which was first used to indicate a mass discovered by chance at an adrenal level, is currently used to indicate any lesion identified accidentally, namely in the absence of specific symptomatology, during echographic or tomographic examination. The authors report their experience of just over one year and, through a review of the literature, draw attention to the fact that these incidentalomas raise unresolved problems both from a diagnostic and therapeutic point of view. They hope that routine abdominal echography will be extended at least to a selected hospital population given that these lesions, diagnosed by chance, may be malignant or even if benign may have a potential evolution. Obviously surgery in these cases would lead to a marked prognostic improvement.