MR diagnosis of haemorrhagic cystic renal cell carcinoma.

Objective: We report two cases of cystic renal masses considered indeterminate on sonography and CT, in which haemorrhagic contents were demonstrated on MRI.
Materials and Methods: Spin echo T1-weighted axial and coronal (TR 700 ms; TE 17 ms) and T2-weighted axial (TR 3,000 ms; TE 90 ms) upper abdominal scans were obtained on a 1.5 T MR machine.
Results: Cyst contents were of high signal on both T1- and T2-weighted sequences, indicating internal haemorrhage, which was confirmed at surgery.
Conclusion: There is a high propensity for haemorrhagic renal masses to mask carcinoma. By distinguishing blood from other contents, MRI had a noninvasive role in diagnosis and further management.