The renal lesions of tuberosclerosis (cysts and angiomyolipoma)--screening with sonography and computerized tomography

Abstract

The two most common sonographic abnormalities in the kidneys of 23 tuberous sclerosis (TS) patients ranging in age from newborn to 30 years are angiomyolipomas (12/23) (AML) and renal cysts (10/23). These usually both occur in the same patient with only 9 cases (39%) having sonographically normal kidneys. Of the 14 affected patients, 2 had cysts without AML and 4 others had AML without cysts. The sonographic appearance of an AML varied from a large 6 cm solid mass with little increased echogenicity (1/12) to subtle small (4 mm) extremely echogenic regions in the periphery of the kidney (11/12). The sonographic appearance of the cysts were anechoic lesions varying in size from 2 mm to 2 cm with thin uniform posterior walls and posterior enhancement. Renal lesions are found more frequently with increasing age. Sonography is the preferred screening procedure for the renal lesions of T.S.