Arteriography in the diagnosis and staging of hypernephromas

Renal angiography, renal venography, vena cavography, pharmaco-angiography, and pan arteriography are added to the roentgenographic armamentarium currently in use for the assessment of renal cell carcinoma. The angiographic techniques are lauded for their ability to directly identify the neoplasm on the basis of a characteristic abnormal arteriographic pattern. Documentation of this arteriographic pattern permits identification of tumor extension into adjacent organ systems, the renal vein, local lymph nodes, and metastases to distant organs. Thus, this method lends itself for staging of the extent of a hypernephroma. An excellent correlation of our arteriographic stage to the pathologic substrate and findings on exploration are noted. Furthermore, survival statistics of arteriographically-staged patients follow closely those of other series staged on the basis of surgical exploration, thus enhancing the credibility of the proposed technique.