The Normal Renal Size of Korean Children: Radiologic Estimation

Ko, Yeung Tae; Hyun, Jae Suk; Kim, Young sun; Kim, Kyung Do

Abstract

A nephropathy following urinary tract infection is usually referred to as renal scarring. The main radiologic features are an overall reduction in the size of the kidney, with coarse scar, deformity of calyces and indentation of the surface. If adequately treated, the progressive renal scarring by urinary tract infection could be prevented. Therefore, the early radiologic detection of renal damage following urinary tact infection or vesicoureteral reflux is great importance for the evaluation of the pathogenesis of renal scarring and for the planning of the therapy. To evaluate the renal damage, we must have the normal data of the kidneys. Many reports discussed the renal size in normal children, but there are no reports in the Korean children. We estimate the renal length, width, several focal parenchymal thicknesses for renal size evaluation and segmental lumbar vertebral length at the intravenous pyelography in the normal Korean children. And the linear equations are obtained by the regression analysis between the various renal parameters and segmental vertebral length. Thereafter we make out the nomogram by the obtained equations. The renal length and width are highly correlated to the segmental lumbar vertebral length than various renal parenchymal thicknesses. These result suggest that the renal length and width are reliable parameters for normal renal size evaluation in growing kidney. And then the obtained equations and normograms might be useful in the diagnosis of parenchymal loss in early scarring and follow-up.