Study: Ultrasound Scan may Eliminate Unnecessary Biopsies and Surgeries

A simple enhanced ultrasound scan of the kidney is more accurate than computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in predicting whether suspicious masses are cancerous — and can eliminate the need for unnecessary biopsies and surgeries, according to a 10-year study presented at an international medical conference in Chicago.

"Contrast enhanced ultrasound is a very robust technique with an extremely high predictive value," according to Dr. Richard Barr, who presented the findings Wednesday to members of the International Contrast Ultrasound Society. Barr is a professor of radiology at Northeast Ohio Medical University and is a member of the board of directors of the organization.

Barr said that the study followed 721 patients with approximately 1,000 kidney masses for up to 10 years. Following contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) exams, 367 of the patients were spared biopsy, surgery, or close followup, while 5 patients thought to have benign lesions actually had cancerous tumors.

In a subgroup of patients initially believed to have a high probability of malignancy, CEUS found that 78% of the tumors were actually not malignant at all, according to Barr -- and those patients were spared invasive biopsies or surgery to remove the tumor. In addition, in another subgroup of patients believed to have a 100% chance of malignancy, 38.7% of the kidney masses were found to be nonmalignant -- and those patients also avoided surgery.