Aspiration or Exploration to Confirm Diagnoses of Renal Masses

• Published in: JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association Vol. 204; no. 9; pp. 758 - 762
• Main Authors: Devine, Charles J, Buttarazzi, Patrick J, Devine, Patrick C, Fiveash, Joseph G, Poutasse, Eugene F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Medical Association 27-05-1968
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Angiography; Contrast Media; Cytodiagnosis; Diagnosis, Differential; Female; Humans; Kidney Diseases, Cystic - diagnosis; Kidney Diseases, Cystic - diagnostic imaging; Kidney Diseases, Cystic - surgery; Kidney Neoplasms - diagnosis; Kidney Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Kidney Neoplasms - surgery; Male; Middle Aged; Radionuclide Imaging; Tomography; Urography
• ISSN: 0098-7484; 1538-3598
• DOI: 10.1001/jama.1968.03140220006002

Though some renal cysts require surgical treatment, recent improvements in diagnostic methods for differentiation of benign cysts from solid tumors have made it unnecessary to assume the risk associated with exploration of the kidney each time a mass is discovered. There remains, however, a percentage of error in the evaluation of these studies. Confirmation of the diagnosis should be obtained by aspiration in the case of cysts and by surgical exploration and treatment of tumors. We have employed a system for the evaluation of renal masses with the use of various radiological techniques. Whenever in the course of this investigation a diagnosis of cyst or tumor was made, the appropriate confirmatory procedure was carried out. If the diagnosis was still indefinite when all the tests had been done, exploration was also indicated.