title: Are there useful CT features to differentiate renal cell carcinoma from lipid-poor renal angiomyolipoma?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was an attempt to identify key CT features that can potentially be used to differentiate between lipid-poor renal angiomyolipoma and renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted an analysis of patients who received nephrectomy or renal biopsy from 2002 to 2011 with suspected RCC. We included tumors smaller than 7 cm with a completed three-phase CT examination. A radiologist and a urology fellow, blinded to histopathologic diagnosis, recorded the imaging findings by consensus and compared the values for each parameter between lipid-poor angiomyolipoma, RCC subtypes, and RCC as a group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed for each univariate significant feature.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sample in our study consisted of 132 patients with 135 renal tumors, including 51 men (age range, 26-84 years; mean age, 57 years) and 81 women (age range, 29-91 years; mean age, 57 years). These tumors included 33 lipid-poor angiomyolipomas, 54 clear-cell RCC, 31 chromophobe RCC, and 17 papillary RCC. Multivariate analysis revealed four significant parameters for differentiating RCC as a group from lipid-poor angiomyolipoma (angular interface, p = 0.023; hypodense rim, p = 0.045; homogeneity, p = 0.005; unenhanced attenuation > 38.5 HU, p < 0.001), five for clear-cell RCC, two for chromophobe RCC, and one for papillary RCC. Lipid-poor angiomyolipoma and clear-cell RCC showed early strong enhancement and a washout pattern, whereas chromophobe RCC and papillary RCC showed gradual enhancement over time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Specific CT features can potentially be used to differentiate lipid-poor renal angiomyolipoma from renal cell carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: 1 Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ching-Wei
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Shu-Huei
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Yen-Hwa
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Hsiao-Jen
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Jia-Hwia
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Alex T L
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Kuang-Kuo
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018207:Angiomyolipoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D001706:Biopsy; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D003287:Contrast Media; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007479:Iopamidol; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009392:Nephrectomy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D007479:Iopamidol