Course of acquired renal cystic disease. An ultrasonic follow-up study
Veneziano, S.; Pavlica, P.; Viglietta, G.; Santoro, A.; Spongano, M.
La Radiologia Medica 77(6): 655-657
1989
ISSN/ISBN: 0033-8362 PMID: 2667045 Document Number: 336296
The authors evaluated the evolution of acquired renal cystic disease with a 40-month US follow-up. Eighty-one patients were examined by US: 66 of them were hemodialysis patients, and 15 transplant recipients. Cystic kidney disease had progressed in 52/66 hemodialysis patients, whereas the picture was unmodified in 14/15 transplant recipients. As an explanation to the different evolution possibilities, the authors hypothesize that disease etiopathogenesis is to be sought in uremic toxic elements together with constitutional factors. Hemodialysis, prolonging the life of these patients, appears to facilitate the onset and/or evolution of the disease. On the contrary, kidney transplantation stops disease evolution, because it removes biologically active substances associated to uremia. In no cases new kidney tumors were found.