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Renal papillary morphology in infants and young children
Insights
Renal papillae morphology in children differs from piglets. Fused papillae, linked to intrarenal reflux, were less common in human infants, with cone-shaped papillae frequently observed.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nephrology
- Comparative Anatomy
- Urology
Background:
- Renal papillae morphology is crucial for kidney function.
- Intrarenal reflux is a significant risk factor for pediatric kidney damage.
- Comparative studies in animal models aid understanding of human physiology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the morphology of renal papillae in human infants and young children.
- To compare these findings with experimental data from piglets.
- To determine the association between specific papillae morphologies and intrarenal reflux.
Main Methods:
- Macroscopic examination of necropsy kidneys from infants and young children.
- Comparison with experimental data on renal papillae morphology in piglets.
- Analysis of papillae fusion patterns and shapes.
Main Results:
- Extensively fused papillae, associated with intrarenal reflux in piglets, were rare in human kidneys.
- Fused papillae predominantly occurred at the upper and lower poles of human kidneys.
- Over 25% of human kidneys exhibited cone-shaped papillae, a type not linked to reflux in piglets.
Conclusions:
- Renal papillae morphology in human infants differs from piglets, particularly regarding fused papillae.
- The lower incidence of fused papillae suggests a potentially lower susceptibility to intrarenal reflux in human infants compared to piglets.
- Cone-shaped papillae may represent a normal variant in pediatric kidneys, not indicative of reflux.
Abstract:
The morphology of the renal papillae was studied in a series of necropsy kidneys from infants and young children, and related to experimental data obtained in piglets. As in the piglet, extensively fused papillae of the type associated with intrarenal reflux occurred almost exclusively at the upper and lower poles of the kidney. However, the incidence of this kind of papilla was much lower in the children's kidneys, and in over a quarter of the specimens examined only cone-shaped papillae were found; this latter type of papilla is never associated with intrarenal reflux in the piglet.