Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Apr 20;102(1):41.
doi: 10.5334/jbsr.1536.

Renal Angiomyolipoma: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Nicolas Vos  1 , Raymond Oyen  1
Affiliations

Renal Angiomyolipoma: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Nicolas Vos et al. J Belg Soc Radiol. .

Abstract

Angiomyolipomas (AMLs) are the most common benign renal tumours. Most of these neoplasms are found incidentally on imaging. However, symptomatic presentation does exist. Renal AMLs are typically composed of smooth muscle, blood vessels, and adipose tissue. Because of the abundant fat tissue, they give a characteristic appearance on imaging and are therefore easily diagnosed. However, sometimes they contain too little fat to be detected. This increases the difficulty in differentiating them from renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Management of AML is based on clinical presentation and should be individualized for every patient. Treatment modalities range from active surveillance to more invasive approaches.

Keywords: angiomyolipoma; imaging; renal; therapy; tuberous sclerosis complex.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
US image showing a fat-rich AML (arrow). The tumour is more hyperechoic than the right renal sinus (asterisk) [10].
Figure 2
Figure 2
UECT showing bilateral and multiple AMLs in a patient with TSC. Each lesion contains attenuation numbers less than –10 HU, consistent with fat-rich AML [3].
Figure 3
Figure 3
UECT demonstrating a left solid renal lesion (arrow). It appears homogeneously hyperdense and has attenuation values as high as 44 HU, consistent with fat-invisible AML [9].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Contrast-enhanced CT showing two features: a perirenal hematoma and enhancing lesion with aneurysm formation (arrowhead) and a thrombus in the IVC (arrow) [15].
Figure 5
Figure 5
Opposed-phase T1-weighted MR image with a hyperintense renal mass. The India ink artefact (arrow) is present at the interface of the lesion with the kidney [16].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Fittschen, A, Wendlik, I, Oeztuerk, S, et al. Prevalence of sporadic renal angiomyolipoma: A retrospective analysis of 61,389 in- and out-patients. Abdom Imaging. 2014; 39(5): 1009–1013. DOI: 10.1007/s00261-014-0129-6 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Flum, AS, Hamoui, N, Said, MA, et al. Update on the diagnosis and management of renal angiomyolipoma. J Urol. 2017; 195(4): 834–846. DOI: 10.1016/j.juro.2015.07.126 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Jinzaki, M, Silverman, SG, Akita, H, Nagashima, Y, Mikami, S and Oya, M. Renal angiomyolipoma: A radiological classification and update on recent developments in diagnosis and management. Abdom Imaging. 2014; 39(3): 588–604. DOI: 10.1007/s00261-014-0083-3 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jinzaki, M, Silverman, SG, Akita, H, Mikami, S and Oya, M. Diagnosis of renal angiomyolipomas: Classic, Fat-Poor, and Epithelioid types. Semin Ultrasound CT MR. 2017; 38(1): 37–46. DOI: 10.1053/j.sult.2016.11.001 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lane, BR, Aydin, H, Danforth, TL, et al. Clinical correlates of renal angiomyolipoma subtypes in 209 patients: Classic, fat poor, tuberous sclerosis associated and epithelioid. J Urol. 2008; 180(3): 836–843. DOI: 10.1016/j.juro.2008.05.041 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources