Von Hippel-Lindau disease: strategies in early detection (renal-, adrenal-, pancreatic masses)

Abstract.

Von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL) is a hereditary syndrome characterized by a predisposition for bilateral and multicentric retinal angiomas, hemangioblastomas in the central nervous system (CNS), renal cell carcinomas, pheochromocytomas, islet cell tumors of the pancreas, and endolymphatic sac tumors, as well as cysts in the kidney, pancreas, and epididymis. This review focuses on developments in imaging of renal, adrenal, and pancreatic masses in VHL. Radiology still has a central place in managing of VHL. Radiologists should therefore be aware of the importances of MRI, CT, and US compared with other radiodiagnostic tools for these three organs. Since a conservative approach to the treatment of VHL lesions is now becoming more widely accepted, ongoing follow-up by careful radiological screening with US, and especially with MRI, will play a central role in managing the disease. We also give an overview of recent advances in the molecular biology of VHL, because the combination of imaging with (presymptomatic) DNA analysis has made early detection and screening of lesions possible and led to a reduction in morbidity and mortality.