Ultrasound is the most used interdisciplinary non-ionizing imaging technique in clinical routine. Therefore, ultrasound has a special value in the diagnosis and monitoring of cystic renal lesions, which can be classified as non-complicated or complicated and by means of occurrence as solitary or multifocal lesions. The Bosniak classification (I-IV) classifies renal cysts in 5 different categories with the help of ultrasound and computed tomography image criteria and is used for decisions of further clinical treatment. Additionally to normal native B-mode sonography, several new methods are in clinical use to improve diagnostic accuracy of unclear cases. Contrast enhanced ultrasound and MRI/CT are able to find and characterize difficult pathologies. This review explains the most important pathologies of cystic lesions of the kidney and stresses the different imaging methods of native B-mode sonography and the new techniques of contrast enhanced ultrasound.
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.