[Ultrasonography before surgical operation of retroperitoneal malignant tumors in childhood (author's transl)].

Abdominal tumors in childhood are diagnosed almost always by palpation only, the retroperitoneal localization of these are confirmed by I.V.P. The new gray scale ultrasound machine seem to be very useful in the staging of the masses before the surgical operation. For the correct appreciation of the sensibility of gray-scale ultrasound, 6 Wilm's tumors, 6 neuroblastoma and 1 malignant retroperitoneal fibroma were reviewed. These children were echographied just before the surgical procedure and the surgeon's reports were compared with ultrasonics findings. If the sensibility is good to give measurement of the masse and to establish the situation of the tumor toward the midline of the abdominal cavity, the visualisation of the great vessels was not so obvious. However these hepatic structures were well established in all cases. The renal vein was never seen. At the end of this report it's possible to describe differential echographic findings between Wilm's tumor and neuroblastoma. --A Wilm's tumor is a mass well limited in periphery, confused with the kidney and with a frequent sonolucent rim sign. --A Neuroblastoma is a very irregular tumor well separated of the kidney without sonolucent area in its limit. U.S. made after an I.V.P. is in all cases very useful to surgeons. The two methods with their additional findings make almost always arteriography without interest.