Preoperative evaluation of perinephric fat invasion in patients with renal cell carcinoma: correlation with pathological findings

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans in predicting perinephric fat invasion. Preoperative CT and MRI scans of 109 patients were assessed retrospectively by two radiologists focusing on perinephric fat invasion. Findings were correlated with histopathology. Perinephric fat involvement on imaging was reported in 55 cases, and postoperative pathology record confirmed it in 32 patients. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 82%, 63%, 48%, and 89%, respectively, with a P value of .001. To conclude, cross-sectional imaging techniques can reliably predict perinephric fat invasion in renal carcinomas preoperatively.