Abstract
ObjectiveTo determine the value of anterior displacement of the abdominal aorta, when present at any level or only at the level of the adrenal gland, contralateral to the mass, in diagnosing neuroblastoma on computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging in children up to 7 years of age.Materials and MethodsImaging examinations of 66 patients were classified by consensus as for the presence of anterior aorta displacement and were compared with the pathology report.ResultsWe found anterior abdominal aorta displacement in 26 (39.39%) of the 66 patients evaluated. Among those 26 patients, we identified neuroblastoma in 22 (84.62%), nephroblastoma in 3 (11.54%), and Burkitt lymphoma in 1 (3.85%). The positive predictive value was 84.62%, and the specificity was 88.24%. The displacement of the aorta was at the adrenal level, contralateral to the mass, in 14 cases, all of which were attributed to neuroblastoma.ConclusionWhen the abdominal aorta is displaced at the level of the adrenal gland, contralateral to the mass, it can be said that the diagnosis is neuroblastoma, whereas abdominal aorta displacement occurring at other abdominal levels has a positive predictive value for neuroblastoma of approximately 85%.
Highlights
Neuroblastoma, a malignant extracranial solid tumor that is most common among pediatric patients[1], accounts for 7–10% of all childhood tumors, with a reported incidence of approximately 500 new cases per year in the United States[2]
This was a retrospective study that evaluated axial images of patients up to 7 years of age who had abdominal tumors seen on computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with or without clinical suspicion of neuroblastoma, who were admitted to the hospital up through the end of 2013, and whose main complaint at admission was of an abdominal mass
PPV, positive predictive value; NPV, negative predictive value; 95% CI, 95% confidence interval
Summary
Neuroblastoma, a malignant extracranial solid tumor that is most common among pediatric patients[1], accounts for 7–10% of all childhood tumors, with a reported incidence of approximately 500 new cases per year in the United States[2]. It accounts for approximately 15% of all cancer-related deaths in the pediatric population[3], its incidence. Cancer is the leading cause of death in children aged 1–14 years, accounting for 18% of all such deaths, and neuroblastoma is still the leading cause of cancer death in children and the third leading cause of death from malignant tumors in pediatric patients[5]. Neuroblastoma can present as a palpable abdominal mass[7]
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