The Limited Utility of Ultrasound Surveillance after Radical and Partial Nephrectomy for Renal Cell Carcinoma

AbstractPurpose:Determine the utility of ultrasound in comparison to cross-sectional imaging in the detection of intra-abdominal recurrences after radical or partial nephrectomy for localized renal cell carcinoma.Materials and Methods:We performed a retrospective review of 800 patients with clinically localized renal cell carcinoma having undergone a radical or partial nephrectomy between 2008 and 2015. Patients had at minimum one-year of follow-up at our institution, at least one ultrasound during surveillance, and no metastases at time of surgery. Our primary outcome was the rate of diagnosis of abdominal recurrence, based on modality of surveillance.Results:The median follow-up for the entire cohort was 37.5 months (12 to 166 months). There were 396 and 404 patients who underwent radical and partial nephrectomy, respectively, for localized renal cell carcinoma. 224 (57%) and 234 (58%) patients in the radical and partial nephrectomy cohorts, respectively, had 2 or more ultrasounds performed during surve...