[Ultrasound in diffuse renal parenchymal disease (author's transl)]

Ultrasound examinations were compared with histopathological findings in 22 patients with diffuse renal parenchymal disease (glomerulonephritis, interstitial nephritis, glomerulosclerosis). The echogenicity of the renal parenchyma was graded by comparing it with the echogenicity of the liver, the spleen and the renal sinus and correlated with glomerular and interstitial findings. There was a direct correlation between echo intensity of the renal parenchyma and severity of renal parenchyma and severity of renal interstitial disease. Glomerular changes intensified the echogenicity of the parenchyma, but grading was not possible. Ultrasound is capable of documenting the course of disease and recognizing complications.