Ultrasonographic findings in renal parenchymal diseases

An analysis was made of the ultrasonographic findings in 112 patients with renal parenchymal disease verified histologically, or with an unambiguous clinical picture. The diseases were divided into glomerular and tubulo-interstitial types. The duration of the disease and renal insufficiency and, in cases of glomerular diseases, the presence of a nephrotic syndrome and the severity of the histological changes were also taken into account. An abnormal sonographic finding was recorded in 67% of the cases. A highly echogenic cortex was the most common abnormality, being slightly more frequent in the tubulo-interstitial diseases (75%) than in the glomerular ones (61%), but the difference was not significant. Changes in the medullary region were significantly more frequent in tubulo-interstitial cases (46%) than in glomerular ones, and significantly more frequent in acute than in chronic conditions. Parenchymal thinning was associated with chronic cases and thickening with acute tubulo-interstitial cases. The nephrotic syndrome increased the number of abnormal sonographic findings. No specific sonographic features could be established for either glomerular or tubulo-interstitial renal diseases.