J Korean Soc Med Ultrasound.  1997 Dec;16(4):315-320.

Necrosis and Degeneration of Solid Tumor: Sonographic and Pathologic Correlation

• Kim IS
• Park GY
• Ko YT
• Lee DH
• Lim JW

Abstract

PURPOSE: To evaluate the echo pattern of solid tumor necrosis and degeneration.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Retrospectively, sonographic findings of 44 solid tumor necrosis and degeneration compared with pathologic findings. Forty-four tumors were 22 renal tumors (renal cell carcinoma in 18 cases, transitional cell carcinoma in 2cases, Wilm's tumor in 1 case, and metastasis in 1 case), 9 hepatic tumors (hepatocellular carcinoma in 7 cases and hemangioma in 2 cases), 9 adrenal tumors (pheochromocytoma in 7 cases and adrenal carcinoma in 2 cases), 3 retroperitoneal tumors(neurilemmoma in 1 case, ganglioneuroma in 1 case, leiomyosarcoma in 1 case), and 1 mixed M llerian tumor of the uterus.
RESULTS
Twenty-four of 44 cases had necrosis, eight cases had necrosis with hemorrhage, six cases had hemorrhage, three cases had myxoid degeneration, and three cases had hyaline degeneration. Twenty-four (54.6%) of 44 cases had necrosis showing hypoechoic (13), hyperechoic (6 cases), and isoechoic (5 cases) pattern on sonography(US). Eight cases of necrosis with hemorrhage (18.2%) showed hypoechoic (4) and hyperechoic (4) pattern on US. Six cases of hemorrhage (13.6%) were hyperechoic (3 cases), hypoechoic (2 cases), and isoechoic (1 case) pattern on US. Myxoid degeneration showed mixed echogenic pattern in all 3 cases (6.8%), and three hyaline degeneration (6.8%) revealed hypoechogenicity (1 case), isoechogenicity (1 case), and hyperechogenicity (1 case) on US.
CONCLUSION
Tumor necrosis and degeneration showed variable echo patterns: hypoechogenicity, isoechogenicity, and hyperechogenicity on ultrasound, and hypoechoic pattern was most common among them. Differentiation of type of tumor necrosis and degeneration is difficult on ultrasound because those echo patterns are variable.

MeSH Terms

Carcinoma, Transitional Cell
Ganglioneuroma
Hemangioma
Hemorrhage
Hyalin
Leiomyosarcoma
Necrosis*
Neoplasm Metastasis
Retrospective Studies
Ultrasonography*
Uterus
Wilms Tumor