[Use of sonography at the peripheral hospital in the diagnosis of kidney tumors].

33 kidney tumours were detected in 15,500 routine scans of the upper abdomen. 13.7 per cent of these tumours were asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis. The size of these accidentally detected tumours was evidently smaller than in the case of symptomatic ones and the patients were younger at the time of diagnosis. The diagnosis was falsely positive in one case and falsely negative in 3 cases. In 2 cases of incorrect negative findings the sonographic diagnosis was hydronephrosis, but IVP and cytology of the specimen proved that these tumours were urothelial carcinomas. Apparently the weak point in sonographic diagnosis is the diagnosis of urothelial carcinomas. In cases of suspected kidney tumour or a sonographic diagnosis of hydronephrosis additional diagnostic methods must be undertaken. Our results show that adequate and cost-effective diagnostic information in the detection of kidney tumours is obtained in the majority of cases by sonography and urography.