Nomograms of renal length in children obtained from DMSA scintigraphy

The aim of this study was to establish nomograms of renal length in children comparing age, body weight, and height. Renal lengths were obtained from data derived from Tc-99m DMSA scintigraphy in 266 patients with 532 kidneys that appeared normal on DMSA studies. The children's ages ranged from 6 days to 19 years. Renal length appeared to have nonlinear relationships with patient weight and age, but was found to correlate linearly with patient height. On average, scintigraphic renal length exceeded sonographic renal length by approximately 1 cm. The most likely explanation for this is the effect of respiration causing renal motion during the acquisition of the scintigraphic images. It is hoped that the nomograms derived from these data will be of use in routine clinical practice for nuclear medicine departments performing DMSA scintigraphy in children.