Renal cyst Kidney cyst

Renal cysts are the most frequent benign renal lesions, representing about 70% of asymptomatic renal lesions.

Although, in some cases, the presence of renal cysts is related to syndromes of family or genetic transmission, in the vast majority of cases they do not present any hereditary pattern.

The incidence of renal cysts increases with age, being more frequent in males and in people with arterial hypertension or renal failure.

Only large renal cysts can be associated with symptoms, such as low back pain, abdominal pain or a feeling of fullness, which occur due to compression of adjacent organs.

Rarely, renal cysts can become evident through the development of infectious processes or after a trauma that leads to their rupture or hemorrhage.

In reality, the vast majority of renal cysts are not associated with any symptoms, so their diagnosis usually occurs during a complementary exam, usually an ultrasound, carried out to investigate another pathology.

Most renal cysts have benign characteristics and are therefore considered simple renal cysts. Although it is a rare event, some renal cysts are actually malignant neoplasms. For this reason, when identifying a renal cyst, it is important to evaluate its imaging characteristics, in order to understand its potential for malignancy.

In view of simple renal cysts, the diagnosis is based solely on ultrasound assessment, and no treatment is usually necessary.

On the other hand, in the presence of complex renal cysts, which have suspicious characteristics, it is usually necessary to perform additional tests, such as computed tomography with contrast or magnetic resonance imaging, in order to assess their potential for malignancy.

Complex renal cysts require regular surveillance and may even require surgical treatment, due to the risk of being malignant neoplasms (cyst marsupialization, tumorectomy, partial nephrectomy or radical nephrectomy).