Nephrometry Scores: The Effect of Imaging on Routine Read-out and Prediction of Outcome of Nephron-sparing Surgery

This study investigated the impact of available preoperative imaging on the reliability and predictive accuracy of RENAL and PADUA nephrometry-scoring systems for renal tumors. Five urologists determined RENAL and PADUA scores using preoperative imaging data (computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging) of 100 patients admitted for partial nephrectomy with the following combinations: T0: transverse planes without excretory phase (EP), TC0: transverse and coronal planes without EP, TC1: transverse and coronal planes with EP. Reference standard was obtained by a uro-radiologist. Ischemia time was used as surrogate for surgical complexity. Assignment of EP significantly reduced interobserver-variability among urologists (p