Morphometrical study of bovine kidneys with and without mild histological lesions

The objective of this study was to determine the renal dimensions in adult cows and to investigate whether they are affected by the breed, the age of the animals and the presence of subclinical renal histopathological lesions.

The kidneys of 57 adult female dairy (44 Holstein) and beef (13 Limousine-Cross) cattle aged≥2years obtained at an abattoir were used for the purpose of the study. The greatest pole-to-pole length and the maximum width were measured with a digital caliper. A renal sample obtained from a central pole of each kidney underwent histopathologic examination.

Renal dimensions were significantly affected by the breed and the age of the animals without however been affected by the presence of mild histopathologically detected lesions. The renal size was significantly higher in Holstein cows compared to Limousine-Cross ones and significantly lower in cows aged more than 6years than the youngest ones. Left kidney was shorter and wider in the majority of animals.

These results indicate that breed and age of animals are significant factors that affect renal size in cows. They further prove that mild histologically detected renal lesions do not significantly alter renal dimensions. Although no significant difference was detected, the obtained results tend to confirm the well documented morphological difference (asymmetry) in cattle between right and left kidney.