Does renal hamartoma require nephrectomy? In two cases, renal hamartoma requires nephrectomy

Renal hamartoma is a benign tumor caused by abnormal proliferation of blood vessels, smooth muscle and mature adipose tissue, also known as renal angiomyolipoma. Whether renal hamartoma requires kidney removal depends on the specific condition. Smaller renal hamartomas do not require treatment and can be closely observed. When the tumor is large or compresses surrounding organs and tissues, surgical resection of the kidney is required.

Renal hamartoma, also known as renal angiomyolipoma, is a benign tumor composed of abnormally proliferating blood vessels, smooth muscle and adipose tissue in different proportions. Hamartoma can occur not only in the kidneys, but also in the brain, eyes, heart, lungs, bones and other parts. In the past, renal hamartoma was considered a rare disease. In recent years, with the development of medical imaging and people's attention to health examinations, its detection rate has gradually increased. Renal hamartoma is more common in middle-aged people, and the onset also shows gender differences, with the incidence rate in women significantly higher than that in men. Renal hamartoma is not easy to detect in the early stages and is often discovered during physical examinations or treatment of other diseases. Ultrasound and CT examinations are commonly used to diagnose renal hamartomas clinically. Once a renal hamartoma is diagnosed, an appropriate treatment plan should be selected based on the size, location, and presence or absence of rupture and malignant tendency of the tumor. Under what circumstances is kidney resection required?

1. When the size of a renal hamartoma is too large, partial or complete kidney removal is required. A tumor with a diameter of more than 10 cm is considered a giant hamartoma and requires surgical resection of the kidney. Once a giant renal hamartoma ruptures, it may cause massive bleeding or even death, so it needs to be taken seriously.

2. Kidney removal is also required when renal hamartoma severely compresses surrounding tissues and blood vessels. Renal hamartoma compressing surrounding organ tissues can cause corresponding symptoms, such as digestive discomfort when compressing the duodenum and stomach. When the tumor compresses blood vessels, it may also cause blood vessel rupture and cause heavy bleeding. When renal hamartoma involves lymph nodes or even tumor thrombi invade large veins, it indicates that the hamartoma has a malignant tendency and requires immediate radical nephrectomy.

The above are two situations in which renal hamartoma requires nephrectomy. The principle of clinical treatment of renal hamartoma is to preserve renal function as much as possible. If both kidneys are diseased, nephrectomy cannot be performed and hemodialysis or renal transplantation is required.