Faculty Bibliography

In a female patient who presented with the complaint of dysuria, angiography was required to distinguish a vascular impression on the renal pelvis from a possible tumor or calculus. Neither intravenous urography nor retrograde pyelogram clarified the smooth filling defect sufficiently to rule out the possibility of a urothelial tumor

The gonadal artery is an important collateral pathway of blood flow to the kidney. Collateral routes may be from the gonadal artery to the inferior capsular artery (gonadal-renal capsular artery) or to the periureteric arteries. These pathways develop in cases of renal artery stenosis, or when a vascular renal tumor increases the kidneys need for blood. We present five cases in which the gonadal artery served as a source of blood supply to the kidney

Renal oncocytomas are benign tumors arising from proximal tubular epithelial cells. They appear radiographically as solid masses which are vascular on angiography. Angiograms of 13 cases of renal oncocytomas were reviewed, as well as those of 155 renal-cell carcinomas. The classic angiographic findings for the oncocytoma include a spoke-wheel pattern, a homogeneous nephrogram, and a sharp, smooth rim. The finding of a homogenous blush and/or a spoke-wheel pattern greatly increases the possibility of an oncocytoma, though a renal-cell carcinoma may have any or all of the classical findings described for an oncocytoma

We report on a patient with severe renovascular hypertension associated with massive spontaneous mediastinal hemorrhage. Differentiation of this entity from aortic dissection, as well as establishing the cause of the severe hypertension, was possible only through the aid of angiography. Following exploratory thoracotomy, renal artery revascularization was carried out, with resolution of the hypertension. To our knowledge, this complication of renovascular hypertension has not been reported. Prompt recognition and appropriate therapy were possible only after angiographic evaluation

Some neoplastic processes which involve the kidney develop not as a distinct localized mass, but rather as an infiltrating process which replaces the renal parenchyma, causes little or no mass effect, and contains little if any neovascularity. These neoplasms include (1) carcinoma of the renal pelvis when it invades the parenchyma (transitional cell and squamous cell); (2) blood-borne metastatic squamous cell carcinoma to the kidney (most frequently from the lung): (3) renal lymphoma of the infiltrating variety; and (4) infiltrating sarcomatous type of hypernephroma. While the urographic and angiographic appearance of these infiltrating lesions can be similar, clinical aspects are usually sufficient to differentiate them. Radiographic findings include amputation of portions of the collecting system on urography and encasement of vessels with a loss of nephrogram on angiography

In our experience, properly performed epinephrine-enhanced angiography is a useful technique to improve accuracy in the angiographic diagnosis of renal masses. This pharmacologic enhancement is helpful in establishing the benignity of some lesions, clearly establishing malignancy in those questionable by routine angiography, and actually detecting malignant lesions not seen at all on unenhanced angiograms. Six examples of these situations are illustrated. The basic principles and pitfalls in the performance of the technique as well as its limitations are discussed

The tear-drop or pear-shaped bladder was originally described in cases of pelvic hematoma. It may also be seen, however, with a variety of other entities, including pelvic lipomatosis, inferior vena cava occlusion, lymphocysts, and enlarged pelvic lymph nodes. Pertinent radiographic findings of these conditions are reviewed

Eight cases of vertebral chordoma, exclusive of the sacrococcygeus, are presented. The conventional radiographic signs in descending order of importance in differential diagnosis are: destruction of multiple adjacent vertebral bodies; a paravertebral or precervical soft tissue mass; osteosclerosis, seen mainly at the periphery of the destructive lesion; and involvement of the intervening intervertebral disc space. All eight patients had a demonstrable intraspinal extension of chordoma on myelography. Four patients had complete blocks, two epidural in configuration, and two intradural in appearance - indicative of dural invasion by the neoplasm. Four patients had angiographic evaluation. Two demonstrated angiographic features usually associated with soft tissue malignant tumors. Angiography in all four cases was helpful in determining the full extent of the lesion, more so than either conventional radiography or myelography