Sonography of tumors and tumor-like lesions that mimic carcinoma of the urinary bladder

Intravesical urachal cyst masquerading as a bladder malignancy: a case report

BACKGROUND

Urinary bladder masses in children are extremely rare. Certain benign conditions (e.g., ureterocele) can mimic malignant bladder masses. In this report, we present a unique case of a urachal cyst masquerading as a bladder malignancy. Unlike the typical location of urachal cysts along the course of the urachal tract, the cyst in this case was unexpectedly situated within the urinary bladder, leading to diagnostic difficulties.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 2-year-old Bahraini boy presented with hematuria and dysuria for 2 weeks. There was no history of fever, abdominal pain, or vomiting. Physical examination yielded normal findings. Urinalysis showed numerous red blood cells and revealed positive results for nitrites and leukocyte esterase. Abdominal ultrasound showed a well-defined soft tissue lesion with internal vascularity located at the apex of the urinary bladder. Subsequently, magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a thick-walled cystic structure arising from the anterosuperior wall of the bladder and protruding into its lumen. The patient underwent complete excision of the bladder lesion for the presumed diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma. Histopathological examination showed a fluid-filled space lined by stratified squamous epithelium with areas of intestinal metaplasia, revealing an unexpected diagnosis of a urachal cyst. The patient was discharged with complete resolution of symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Intravesical urachal cysts are a rare type of congenital urachal anomaly that may simulate a bladder malignancy, particularly if associated with infection. This case emphasizes the importance of considering urachal cysts in the differential diagnosis of bladder masses, especially in children, and specifically when the lesion is midline in the anterosuperior wall of the bladder.

Imaging of Bladder Cancer: Standard Applications and Future Trends

The evolution in imaging has had an increasing role in the diagnosis, staging and follow up of bladder cancer. Conventional cystoscopy is crucial in the diagnosis of bladder cancer. However, a cystoscopic procedure cannot always depict carcinoma in situ (CIS) or differentiate benign from malignant tumors prior to biopsy. This review will discuss the standard application, novel imaging modalities and their additive role in patients with bladder cancer. Staging can be performed with CT, but distinguishing between T1 and T2 BCa (bladder cancer) cannot be assessed. MRI can distinguish muscle-invasive from non-muscle-invasive tumors with accurate local staging. Vesical Imaging-Reporting and Data System (VI-RADS) score is a new diagnostic modality used for the prediction of tumor aggressiveness and therapeutic response. Bone scintigraphy is recommended in patients with muscle-invasive BCa with suspected bony metastases. CT shows low sensitivity for nodal staging; however, PET (Positron Emission Tomography)/CT is superior and highly recommended for restaging and determining therapeutic effect. PET/MRI is a new imaging technique in bladder cancer imaging and its role is promising. Texture analysis has shown significant steps in discriminating low-grade from high-grade bladder cancer. Radiomics could be a reliable method for quantitative assessment of the muscle invasion of bladder cancer.

Differential Diagnosis of Endometriosis by Ultrasound: A Rising Challenge

Ultrasound is an effective tool to detect and characterize endometriosis lesions. Variances in endometriosis lesions' appearance and distorted anatomy secondary to adhesions and fibrosis present as major difficulties during the complete sonographic evaluation of pelvic endometriosis. Currently, differential diagnosis of endometriosis to distinguish it from other diseases represents the hardest challenge and affects subsequent treatment. Several gynecological and non-gynecological conditions can mimic deep-infiltrating endometriosis. For example, abdominopelvic endometriosis may present as atypical lesions by ultrasound. Here, we present an overview of benign and malignant diseases that may resemble endometriosis of the internal genitalia, bowels, bladder, ureter, peritoneum, retroperitoneum, as well as less common locations. An accurate diagnosis of endometriosis has significant clinical impact and is important for appropriate treatment.

Intra-abdominal fat. Part I. The images of the adipose tissue localized beyond organs

Unaltered fat is a permanent component of the abdominal cavity, even in slim individuals. Visceral adiposity is one of the important factors contributing to diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and certain neoplasms. Moreover, the adipose tissue is an important endocrine and immune organ of complex function both when normal and pathological. Its role in plastic surgery, reconstruction and transplantology is a separate issue. The adipose tissue has recently drawn the attention of research institutes owing to being a rich source of stem cells. This review, however, does not include these issues. The identification of fat is relatively easy using computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. It can be more difficult in an ultrasound examination for several reasons. The aim of this paper is to present various problems associated with US imaging of unaltered intra-abdominal fat located beyond organs. Based on the literature and experience, it has been demonstrated that the adipose tissue in the abdominal cavity has variable echogenicity, which primarily depends on the amount of extracellular fluid and the number of connective tissue septa, i.e. elements that potentiate the number of areas that reflect and scatter ultrasonic waves. The normal adipose tissue presents itself on a broad gray scale: from a hyperechoic area, through numerous structures of lower reflection intensity, to nearly anechoic regions mimicking the presence of pathological fluid collections. The features that facilitate proper identification of this tissue are: sharp margins, homogeneous structure, high compressibility under transducer pressure, no signs of infiltration of the surrounding structures and no signs of vascularization when examined with the color and power Doppler. The accumulation of fat tissue in the abdominal cavity can be generalized, regional or focal. The identification of the adipose tissue in the abdominal cavity using ultrasonography is not always easy. When in doubt, the diagnostic process should be extended to include computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, or sometimes biopsy (preferably the core-needle one).