There is general agreement that surgical exploration of a solitary cyst of the kidney is indicated when other disease is suspected. There is not such agreement when other lesions cannot be demonstrated. What symptomatic and objective factors should be considered prior to recommending surgery in the patient with a solitary cyst of the kidney? Our recent experiences with two patients in whom renal tumor and cyst were independently present in the same kidney have prompted a reassessment of this problem.
DEFINITION
Cysts of the kidney have been classified into six general groups by White and Braunstein.26 These are (1) congenital or developmental, (2) obstructive, (3) neoplastic, (4) vascular, (5) inflammatory, and (6) parasitic. Solitary cysts of the kidney fall into the congenital or developmental group. These are also referred to as simple cysts, serous cysts, and large solitary cysts, and, when bleeding occurs into them, hemorrhagic cysts. Some authors