What is the best way to check for kidney cysts?

Kidney health has always been a goal that we need to pay attention to. When people find that there is a problem with their kidneys, it may mean that their physical condition has become not very good. Therefore, if you want to check the condition of kidney cysts, the first thing is to do basic examinations. Use B-ultrasound and urine routine tests to determine the problem of renal cysts

1. Basic inspection

(1) Urine examination: Urinalysis is normal. However, if the cyst compresses the renal parenchyma or there is an intracystic infection, a small amount of red blood cells and white blood cells may appear in the urine.

(2) B-ultrasound can determine the number, size, and condition of the cyst wall. It can also be differentiated from renal solid masses and is the preferred examination method. Typical B-ultrasound manifestations are absence of echo in the lesion area, smooth cyst wall and clear boundary. When the cyst wall shows irregular echo or localized echo enhancement, one should be alert to malignant transformation. In case of secondary infection, the cyst wall thickens, the lesion area has fine echo, and the echo is enhanced when there is bleeding in the cyst. When imaging shows multiple cysts, they should be distinguished from multilocular cysts and polycystic kidney disease.

(3) Intravenous pyelography (IVP) can show the extent to which the cyst compresses the renal parenchyma and can distinguish it from hydronephrosis.

2. Further inspection

CT is valuable for those who are uncertain about the diagnosis through B-ultrasound examination. When the cyst is accompanied by bleeding, infection, or malignancy, it will appear heterogeneous and the CT value will increase. When CT shows the characteristics of a cyst, there is no need for cyst puncture.