Renal angiomyolipoma: Diagnosis and management

Renal angiomyolipoma (AML) can present symptomatically or asymptomatically and as a sporadic or hereditary manifestation. Hereditary AML occurs in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC); the variable expression of this syndrome is such that typical physical features may be subtle, with the presence of AML dominating the picture and appearing as a sporadic occurrence. In most cases, the diagnosis of AML is confirmed radiographically because of the presence of fat content in the tumor. Angiomyolipoma is the only solid renal tumor that can be diagnosed confidently by radiographic imaging alone, although in some cases the fat of the tumor may be so small that a diagnosis of a malignant solid tumor cannot be excluded.