CEUS Characteristics Help Identify Distinguishing Features of nccRCC

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) for the assessment of non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma (nccRCC) provides a more sensitive alternative to conventional ultrasound imaging, but it can be prone to misdiagnosis.

A recent retrospective analysis by WeiPing Zhang, MD, and colleagues evaluated the diagnostic efficacy of qualitative and quantitative CEUS for nccRCC to further understand the procedure’s distinctive characteristics.

The analysis enrolled 21 patients with nccRCC to assess the imaging features of conventional ultrasound and CEUS, using a paired Wilcoxon signed-rank sum test to identify differences in the time-intensity curve of CEUS parameters between lesions and the renal cortex.

Conventional ultrasound identified the following features of the nccRCC cases: hypoechoic appearance (10/21, 47.6%), absence of liquefaction (18/21, 66.7%), regular shape (19/21, 90.5%), clear boundaries (21/21, 100%), and absence of calcification (17/21, 81.0%).

CEUS analysis identified characteristics of slow progression (76.1%), fast washout (57.0%), uniformity (61.9%), low enhancement (71.5%), and ring enhancement (61.9%). It also found that multiple parameters, including peak enhancement, wash-in area under the curve, and mean transit time local in the lesions were significantly lower than those in the normal renal cortex. However, there were no significant differences in rise time, time to peak, fall time, or quality of life (all P>.05).

nccRCC was found to exhibit distinct CEUS characteristics that can aid in distinguishing nccRCC from ccRCC.