Ultrasound images of renal cysts and cystic desease

Like cysts in any other organ, renal cysts display three basic characteristics: they are anechoic, have a thin, well-defined capsule and exhibit posterior enhancement. It can be difficult to appreciate the posterior enhancement if the hyperechoic perirenal fat lies distal to the cyst; scanning from a different angle (Fig. below) may be helpful. Haemor-rhage or infection can give rise to low-level echoes within a cyst and in some cases the capsule may display calcification. Whilst a solitary, simple cyst can almost certainly be ignored, cysts with more complex acoustic characteristics may require further investigation,