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Published on: February 8, 2022
Development and autoregulation of kidney function in children: a retrospective study using 99mTc-MAG3 renography
Xinhua Cao1, Xiaoyin Xu2, S Ted Treves2
1Department of Radiology, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. xinhua.cao@childrens.harvard.edu.
In children with asymmetric kidneys, a healthy kidney compensates for the diseased one, maintaining up to 94% of normal total kidney function. This autoregulation is crucial for understanding kidney disease development and treatment in pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nephrology
- Renal Physiology
- Diagnostic Imaging
Background:
- Kidney function development in healthy children and autoregulation in asymmetric kidneys are clinically significant but understudied.
- Understanding these processes aids in diagnosing and treating kidney-related diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate kidney function development in healthy children.
- To assess the autoregulation of healthy kidneys compensating for diseased ones in children with asymmetric kidneys.
Main Methods:
- Utilized 99mTc-MAG3 renography in 237 children (0-20 years).
- Developed a kidney function (MAG3 clearance) developmental model for normal children.
- Defined clearance autoregulation rate as the ratio of measured MAG3 clearance to the predicted normal value.
Main Results:
- Established a developmental model for MAG3 clearance (CL) in normal children: CL = 84.39Age^0.395 (r=0.957, p<0.001).
- Found no significant difference in MAG3 clearance between children with asymmetric kidneys and normal children.
- The average autoregulation rate in children with asymmetric kidneys was 94.2%, with no significant variations based on age, sex, or kidney laterality.
Conclusions:
- Healthy kidneys in children with asymmetric kidneys can autoregulate to achieve approximately 94% of the total kidney function observed in healthy children with symmetric kidneys.
- This autoregulation capacity is a key finding for managing pediatric kidney conditions.
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