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Introduction:
With the rise of imaging studies, incidental findings of renal cysts are frequent. Primary care physicians refer patients to urologists to question their prevalence and significance. Contemporary data is sparse when attempting to answer this common question.
Methods:
We evaluated 466 patients who underwent renal imaging. The presence of renal cysts in each patient was correlated to their demographics and associated urologic findings. Films of studies that did not mention the presence of cysts were reviewed.
Results:
The incidence of renal cysts increased with age (Graph1). They more often occurred unilaterally (62.3%versus 37.4%). There is no correlation with nephrolithiasis, however cysts are negatively correlated with hydronephrosis (Graph2). In addition, they were more commonly seen in Caucasians than in African or Asian-Americans (59.1% vs. 38.7 and 38.1%, respectively). Reviewing the films revealed 32/212(17%) of reports without mention of cyst, in fact had cysts. Furthermore, 3/4 reports of “complex” cysts or “septations” on cysts were described without Bosniak classification.
Conclusions:
Renal cysts prevalence increases with age and is inversely associated to hydronephrosis. Radiologists often omit notations of renal cysts because they are considered benign, thus leading to underreporting. Bosniak classification is infrequently used, but could help define the clinical significant cysts.