Teaching Points
- Ultrasound is the investigation of first choice to assess whether a mass is cystic or solid.
- An incidental simple renal cyst on ultrasound does not require further evaluation.
- CT is used for assessment of renal masses that are solid or complex cysts on ultrasound.
- CT characteristics of complex cystic masses can classify lesions according to the Bosniak classification, which indicates the likelihood of malignancy and the need for further evaluation (surgery or biopsy) or monitoring
- Lesions (solid or complex cystic) with malignant features on CT require staging.
File Formats
Some documents for download on this website are in a Portable Document Format (PDF). To read these files you might need to download Adobe® Acrobat Reader.
