Age/sex: 49 year old female
Size: 17.3 x 18.5 x 12.5 cm
The specimen shows a kidney (K) with a small amount of attached fat. A 10 cm smooth-walled cyst projects from its mid-portion. A smaller (2 cm) cyst with an even thinner wall is seen on the upper pole (arrow).
Simple renal cysts
Since the specimen has been kept intact, the cyst contents are not clearly identifiable; however, they would likely be clear fluid similar to dilute urine. Sections of the cyst wall examined microscopically would show it to consist of a thin layer fibrous tissue lined by a single layer of flattened (benign) epithelium.
Solitary renal cysts of this type are very common and range in size from 1 mm to over 20 cm in diameter. Although often single, they can be multiple, as in this specimen (but never as many as in polycystic renal disease, Specimen 24). The vast majority cause no symptoms or significant effects. Occasionally, they grow large enough to compress an adjacent organ or tissue and cause discomfort or pain.
Below: A large renal cyst seen on xray (arrow).
Source: Bickle, I. (2020). Renal cyst. Radiopaedia.
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