A comparative study of ultrasonography and computed tomography in diagnosing renal masses

Abstract

Objective The aim of this study was to compare the role of ultrasonography (US) with computed tomography (CT) in diagnosing renal masses. Background New technological US and CT techniques are being designed to diagnose patients with renal masses. These new techniques will help doctors define and easily diagnose neoplastic and non-neoplastic renal masses. Patients and methods A total of 50 patients were included in the present study (27 males and 23 females; age range 3–67 years; mean age 32.7 ± 21.96 years). Detailed medical history of all patients was obtained, and all of them underwent general examination, routine laboratory investigations, especially those related to the renal system, real-time pelvic-abdominal US with color Doppler, and preintravenous and postintravenous contrast-enhanced CT of the abdomen and pelvis. Results Using US, we found 26 cases with malignant renal masses and 24 cases with benign renal masses. Using CT, we found 24 cases with malignant renal masses and 26 cases with benign renal masses. After correlation with histopathology results, we found that US detected four false-positive cases and one false-negative case, whereas by using CT we found only one false-positive case (P = 0.002). Conclusion US is the first-choice imaging procedure to detect characteristic features of renal masses. It can be performed safely as it is noninvasive and painless as well as relatively inexpensive. CT is considered to be the gold standard for accurate characterization of renal masses, differentiation of malignant from benign masses according to some criteria, and staging of these malignant masses showing distant metastasis and lymph node enlargement.