Abstract

CASTAGNARO ROSINI, Nelda María  and  CASTAGNARO, María Carolina. Retroperitoneal masses in the perinatal period. Rev. argent. radiol. [online]. 2011, vol.75, n.1, pp.33-41. ISSN 1852-9992.

Purpose: To identify the most frequent causes of retroperitoneal mass during the fetal and neonatal period, and to illustrate the imaging findings based on our experience. Material and Methods: Retrospective study about the etiology of retroperitoneal masses in newborns based on x-ray analysis, ultrasound and clinical findings of 487 infants who underwent abdominal ultrasound between January 2008 and December 2009. A total of 47 newborns with a diagnosis of retroperitoneal mass were selected. Patients with prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of intraabdominal retroperitoneal mass and those with palpable abdominal mass on their physical examination in the neonatal period were included in this sample. Infants with gastrointestinal and intraperitoneal abdominal pathology were excluded. Results: Of all the study patients (n= 47), 42 had renal masses (89%), and 5 retroperitoneal extrarenal masses (11%). Among the former, the prevalent diseases were hydronephrosis in 36 cases (76%), and multicystic renal dysplasia in 4 (9%). Moreover, there was only 1 case of congenital mesoblastic nephroma, and 1 case of autosomal recessive polycystic disease. Among the latter, there were 3 infants with adrenal hemorrhage (6%), and 2 with neuroblastoma (4%). Conclusion: The incidence of perinatal retroperitoneal masses in the studied population was 9.65%, in agreement with the literature. It highlights the importance of prenatal US to define the obstetric behavior and the coordination between pre- and postnatal ultrasound in order to achieve the best diagnostic approach. In our casuistic, a diagnosis was reached through US in 94% of the cases. CT plays a crucial role in both defining the surgical procedure in congenital mesoblastic nephroma and staging neuroblastomas.

Keywords : Hydronephrosis; Kidney neoplasms; Newborns; Retroperitoneal masses.

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