Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine.
Published online: January 1, 2001.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To evaluate the echo pattern of solid tumor necrosis and degeneration. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospectively, sonographic findings of 44 solid tumor necrosis and degeneration compared with pathologic findings. Forty-four tumors were 22 renal tumors (renal cell carcinoma in 18 cases, transitional cell carcinoma in 2cases, Wilm's tumor in 1 case, and metastasis in 1 case), 9 hepatic tumors (hepatocellular carcinoma in 7 cases and hemangioma in 2 cases), 9 adrenal tumors (pheochromocytoma in 7 cases and adrenal carcinoma in 2 cases), 3 retroperitoneal tumors(neurilemmoma in 1 case, ganglioneuroma in 1 case, leiomyosarcoma in 1 case), and 1 mixed M llerian tumor of the uterus. RESULTS: Twenty-four of 44 cases had necrosis, eight cases had necrosis with hemorrhage, six cases had hemorrhage, three cases had myxoid degeneration, and three cases had hyaline degeneration. Twenty-four (54.6%) of 44 cases had necrosis showing hypoechoic (13), hyperechoic (6 cases), and isoechoic (5 cases) pattern on sonography(US). Eight cases of necrosis with hemorrhage (18.2%) showed hypoechoic (4) and hyperechoic (4) pattern on US. Six cases of hemorrhage (13.6%) were hyperechoic (3 cases), hypoechoic (2 cases), and isoechoic (1 case) pattern on US. Myxoid degeneration showed mixed echogenic pattern in all 3 cases (6.8%), and three hyaline degeneration (6.8%) revealed hypoechogenicity (1 case), isoechogenicity (1 case), and hyperechogenicity (1 case) on US. CONCLUSION: Tumor necrosis and degeneration showed variable echo patterns: hypoechogenicity, isoechogenicity, and hyperechogenicity on ultrasound, and hypoechoic pattern was most common among them. Differentiation of type of tumor necrosis and degeneration is difficult on ultrasound because those echo patterns are variable.