Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026

Point-of-Care Kidney and Genitourinary Ultrasound in Adults: Image Acquisition
Published on: June 21, 2024
Sonographic measurement of renal size in normal Indian children
1Division of Pediatric Nephrology, Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children, Parel, Mumbai, India. anjali.otiv@gmail.com
Insights
This study establishes normal renal size values for Indian children using sonography. Renal length strongly correlates with body height, allowing for easy calculation via regression equations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nephrology
- Medical Imaging
- Anthropometry
Background:
- Establishing reference ranges for organ size is crucial for diagnosing pediatric kidney conditions.
- Sonography is a non-invasive imaging modality widely used in pediatric diagnostics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish sonographically determined reference values for renal size (length, width, thickness) in a cohort of normal Indian children.
- To correlate renal dimensions with anthropometric parameters (age, weight, height, body surface area).
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional observational study was conducted on 1000 healthy Indian children aged 1 month to 12 years.
- Renal size was assessed using sonography with a 3.5-5 MHz transducer and electronic calipers.
- Statistical analysis included calculating mean dimensions with standard deviations and deriving regression equations.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in renal size were observed between sexes or between the right and left kidneys.
- A strong positive correlation (r=0.9) was found between renal length and body height.
- Renal dimensions showed significant correlation with age, weight, and body surface area.
Conclusions:
- This study provides valuable reference data for renal length (mean ± 2SD) in normal Indian children.
- A simple linear regression equation derived from body height can reliably estimate renal length.
Objectives:
To determine the renal size in normal Indian children by sonography.
Settings:
Pediatric teaching hospital, Mumbai, India.
Duration:
1.5 years.
Design:
Cross-sectional observational study.
Participants:
1000 normal Indian children aged 1 month to 12 years.
Methods:
Sonographic assessment of renal size (length, width and thickness) was performed using Philips real time mechanical sector scanner of 3.5-5 MHz frequency with electronic caliper. The mean renal dimensions and volume were calculated for each age group with ± 2SD. The renal length and calculated renal volume were correlated with somatic parameters like age, weight, height and body surface area. Regression equations were derived for each pair of dependent and independent variables.
Results:
No statistical difference was found in renal size between sexes and between right and left kidney. A strong correlation was seen between renal size with various somatic parameters, the best correlation was between renal size length and body height (coefficient of correlation=0.9).
Conclusion:
This study provides values of renal length (mean ± 2SD) in normal Indian children. Renal length can be easily calculated by derived linear regression equation.
Related Concept Videos
Imaging Studies II: Ultrasonography
Imaging Studies I: Kidney, Ureter, and Bladder Studies
Drug Dosing in Renal Diseases: Measurement of Glomerular Filtration Rate
Drug Dosing in Renal Diseases: Measurement of Serum Creatinine Concentration and Clearance
Imaging Studies IV: Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Drug Dosing in Renal Diseases: Estimation of Glomerular Filtration Rate Based on Serum Creatinine Concentration

