[Present day radiation diagnosis of renal tumors and cysts]

The paper discusses the present-day radiation diagnosis of renal bulky formations: tumors and cysts. Based on the study of a great body of clinical data on 708 patients, the authors showed the potentialities of routine X-ray and currently available radiation techniques in the diagnosis of benign and malignant tumors and cysts of the kidney. Based on the data available in the literature and their own findings, the authors concluded that at the earliest stages of their preclinical development, tumors can be today diagnosed by a complete package of up-to-date diagnostic tools. Ultrasonic and computerized tomographies are of the highest informative value in diagnosing tumors and cystic formations. However, in some cases, a diagnosis is made via a routine excretory urography, angiography and needle biopsy. Excretory urography is of limited value for the diagnosis of renal bulky formations and it is used as an auxiliary mainly when a pathological process takes place in the renal hilus area. Angiography retains its significance as a supplementary technique. In the vast majority of cases, an accurate nosological diagnosis can be made on the basis of evaluation of the pattern of blood supply (the presence of abnormal vessels and their topographic features). The paper details the semiotics of a wide range of renal bulky processes by applying all currently available techniques of radiation diagnosis.