Increased renal cortical echogenicity in pediatric renal disease: histopathologic correlations

Retrospective comparisons between sonographic renal cortical echogenicity and the results of renal biopsies were made for 65 pediatric patients ranging in age from neonate to 18 years. There was a positive correlation between an increase in renal cortical echoes and interstitial infiltration as well as with glomerular obsolescence, tubular atrophy, and vascular changes. Since the sonographic changes were heterogeneous in origin, they are not specific. The sonographic findings also correlated positively with the clinical severity of disease. However, the heterogeneous origins of the sonographic finding and the absence of strong correlations indicate that gray-scale sonography cannot act as a prognostic index of the type or severity of disease in pediatric patients.