Unusual imaging presentations in renal transitional cell carcinoma

Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma with Intra-renal Haemorrhage

A 60-year-old man with right upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) developed sudden onset right upper abdominal pain. He had no haematuria, nausea or vomiting and examination revealed right upper abdominal tenderness. Laboratory investigations showed drop-in haemoglobin. Computerised tomography revealed hyperdense contents within the renal pelvis extending into the renal parenchyma. After anaemia correction, radical nephroureterectomy confirmed the intra-renal haemorrhage. At 12 months follow-up, the patient is asymptomatic and recurrence-free. Only a few reported cases of perirenal haemorrhage are available in the literature. However, there is no report on intra-renal haemorrhage in UTUC. We present the first case of intra-renal haemorrhage (IRH) in UTUC managed with radical nephroureterectomy.

Incidence of benign results after laparoscopic radical nephroureterectomy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Studies of patients with benign pathologic lesions who underwent laparoscopic radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) with preoperative suspicion of upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma are lacking. The aim of this retrospective cross-sectional study was to evaluate the incidence of benign pathologic lesions on laparoscopic RNU for upper urinary tract tumors that are presumed to be urothelial carcinoma. The clinicopathologic characteristics of these lesions were also determined.

METHODS

Between January 2004 and December 2010, 244 patients underwent laparoscopic RNU for possible upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma at our institute. Seven (2.9%) had benign lesions at the final pathologic examination. The preoperative features of these patients were investigated, including imaging findings, urine cytologic results, and ureteroscopic findings.

RESULTS

The 7 patients comprised 5 men and 2 women. The lesions were located in the ureter in 5 patients and in the renal pelvis in 2. All patients underwent preoperative voided urine cytology and cystoscopy. Two patients underwent preoperative ureteroscopy. In 1 patient, definite pathologic lesions were not identified in the surgical specimen. Urinary tract tuberculosis was diagnosed in 1 patient, inflammatory pseudotumor in 2, and fibroepithelial polyps in 1. In 2 patients, stones were detected (stone with atypical papillary urothelial hyperplasia and polypoid ureteritis with ureter stone, respectively) after laparoscopic RNU.

CONCLUSION

Benign pathologic lesions were detected in 7 patients (2.9%) who had undergone laparoscopic RNU for upper urinary tract tumors that were presumed to be urothelial carcinoma. The description of these false-positive cases will help improve the preoperative counseling of these patients.

Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Upper Urinary Tract: Spectrum of Imaging Findings

Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) accounts for up to 10% of neoplasms of the upper urinary tract and usually manifests as hematuria. Imaging plays an important role in assessment of upper tract disease, unlike in bladder TCC, diagnosis of which is usually made at cystoscopy. Traditional imaging modalities, such as excretory urography, retrograde pyelography, and ultrasonography, still play pivotal roles in diagnosis of upper tract TCC, in combination with endourologic techniques. The multicentric nature of TCC makes assessment of the entire urothelium essential before treatment. The advent of minimally invasive surgery, which allows renal preservation in selected patients, makes accurate tumor staging mandatory to determine the appropriate therapy; staging is usually performed with computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Vigilant urologic and radiologic follow-up is warranted to assess for metachronous lesions and recurrence. The emerging technique of CT urography allows detection of urinary tract tumors and calculi, assessment of perirenal tissues, and staging of lesions; it may offer the opportunity for one-stop evaluation in the initial assessment of hematuria and in follow-up of TCC. Similar MR imaging protocols can be used in patients who are not candidates for CT urography, although detection of urinary tract calcifications may be suboptimal.

Transitional cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis presenting as a renal abscess

We report on a 76-year-old woman who was diagnosed with a primary renal abscess of the left kidney. After percutaneous drainage, no clinical improvement was observed. Surgical exploration and nephrectomy were performed. The histologic evaluation revealed an unsuspected transitional cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis, which had been misinterpreted as a primary renal abscess. Malignancy must be considered as an underlying cause for the formation of a renal abscess, especially if no other predisposing factors such as diabetes mellitus or urinary stones are present.

Helical computed tomography of renal lesions

Helical computed tomography is a new technique that acquires a volumetric data set of both kidneys within a single breath-hold. It has proved to be superior to conventional computed tomography. Multiphasic helical computed tomography after the administration of contrast material shows advantages concerning the detection and characterization of renal lesions and the preoperative staging of renal cell carcinomas. The proper scan protocol for a sufficient examination of the kidneys is described as well as its diagnostic value. The characteristic computed tomography morphology of benign and malignant renal lesions is reviewed and the advantages of helical computed tomography are illustrated.