title: Incidence and growth pattern of simple cysts of the kidney in patients with asymptomatic microscopic hematuria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We examined the incidence and natural history of simple renal cysts found by ultrasonography (US) in patients referred for asymptomatic microscopic hematuria.
  
  
  METHODS
  Among the 906 patients aged 18-78 years, 743 patients who had undergone US were included in the present study. The natural history of simple renal cysts was investigated in 55 patients who underwent periodical US examinations for more than 3 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of simple renal cysts was 4.3% for ages 29 years or younger, 15.3% for ages 30-39, 21.8% for ages 40-49, 23.3% for ages 50-59 and 32.6% for ages 60 years or older; thus the incidence increased in older age groups (P = 0.0005 for men, P = 0.0020 for women). Men tended to have a higher incidence than women. The degree of hematuria did not influence the incidence of renal cysts (P = 0.9044). The annual growth rate of the mean maximum diameter was 4.2% during a 3-year follow-up period in 55 patients and 5.1% during a 6-year follow-up in 31 patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Since the diameter of a renal cyst may increase by 5% annually, the diameter of the cyst may increase by 1.6 times in 10 years. The scheduling of follow-up examinations depends on the size at the time of disclosure, the effects on calyceal systems, or the suspicion of a concurrent malignant disease. However, the most simple renal cysts may be followed-up at an interval of more than 10 years, once a diagnosis has been established.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan. kmarumo@sc.itc.keio.ac.jp
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Marumo
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Horiguchi
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.forename: Mototsugu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oya
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohigashi
authors.forename: Hirotaka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Asakura
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nakashima
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murai
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006417:Hematuria / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D052177:Kidney Diseases, Cystic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011336:Probability; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014463:Ultrasonography