White pyramid sign (kidney)
Last revised by Travis Fahrenhorst-Jones on 20 Mar 2024
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Khader.O.Thabet M, Fahrenhorst-Jones T, Foley R, et al. White pyramid sign (kidney). Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 21 Sep 2024) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-28362
Permalink:
rID:
28362
Article created:
23 Mar 2014,
Mohammed Al Khader.O.Thabet
Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Mohammed Al Khader.O.Thabet had no recorded disclosures.
View Mohammed Al Khader.O.Thabet's current disclosures
Last revised:
20 Mar 2024,
Travis Fahrenhorst-Jones ◉
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Travis Fahrenhorst-Jones had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Travis Fahrenhorst-Jones's current disclosures
Revisions:
13 times, by
11 contributors -
see full revision history and disclosures
Systems:
Sections:
Synonyms:
- Renal white pyramid sign
- Dense renal medulla sign (DRM)
- Hyperdense renal pyramids sign
The white pyramid sign, also known as dense renal medulla sign (DRM) or hyperdense renal pyramids sign, refers to the CT appearance of the medullary pyramids of the kidney which can be seen normally on unenhanced CT scans as high-attenuation triangular structures.
Pathology
Etiology
- incidental normal finding
- increased urine osmolality: dehydration, hypernatremia, high-protein diet, glycosuria, adrenal insufficiency, and syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH)
- acute ureteric obstruction: the unilateral absence of white pyramids is a subtle secondary sign suggestive of ipsilateral urinary tract obstruction
- high-dose antibiotic therapy: due to antibiotic precipitation in the collecting tubules
- high caffeine intake
- hyperparathyroidism
- medullary sponge kidneys
- medullary cystic disease
- renal tuberculosis
- sickle cell disease
- renal papillary necrosis
- hyperuricemia
References
- 1. Webb WR, Brant W, Major N. Fundamentals of Body Ct. Saunders. (2006) ISBN:1416000305. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 2. Dogra VS, MacLennan GT. Genitourinary Radiology: Kidney, Bladder and Urethra. Springer. (2012) ISBN:1848002459. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 3. Step by Step in Emergency Radiology. Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers. ISBN:818061803X. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 4. Roychowdhury A, Makris J, Colby JM, et al. Unilateral absence of the “white pyramid” sign on non-contrast CT: a sign of tubular hydronephrosis?. Presented at the 98th Meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society, Scientific Session 33, San Francisco, Calif, April 26–May 1, 1998
- 5. Dalrymple NC, Casford B, Raiken DP, Elsass KD, Pagan RA. Pearls and pitfalls in the diagnosis of ureterolithiasis with unenhanced helical CT. (2000) Radiographics : a review publication of the Radiological Society of North America, Inc. 20 (2): 439-47; quiz 527-8, 532. doi:10.1148/radiographics.20.2.g00mc13439 - Pubmed
- 6. Sureka B, Bansal K, Arora A. Dense renal medulla sign. (2016) Indian journal of nephrology. 26 (3): 223-4. doi:10.4103/0971-4065.159554 - Pubmed
- 7. Kumar R, Wang Z, Fu Y, Forsythe C, Webb E, Yeh B. Visualization of Renal Medullary Hyperattenuation at Unenhanced CT: What Is the Effect of Furosemide Administration? Radiology. 2010;255(2):495-500. doi:10.1148/radiol.10091769 - Pubmed
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