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Sonographic standards for a single functioning kidney in children
G T Rottenberg1, R De Bruyn, I Gordon
1Department of Radiology, Hospital for Children NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom.
Insights
Children born with a single functioning kidney show compensatory hypertrophy. Their kidneys are significantly larger than expected for their age, indicating growth in utero.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nephrology
- Medical Imaging
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Congenital anomalies can result in a single functioning kidney.
- Understanding the growth patterns of single kidneys is crucial for monitoring pediatric patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate sonographic measurements of single functioning kidneys in children.
- To compare the size of single functioning kidneys with established standards for bilateral kidneys.
Main Methods:
- Sonographic kidney length measurements were taken in 56 children (0-6 years) with one functioning kidney.
- Kidney length was correlated with patient age, weight, and body surface area.
Main Results:
- Mean kidney length increased with age, from 51.0 mm at 2 weeks to 91.0 mm at 279 weeks.
- Single functioning kidneys were statistically significantly longer than the established sonographic standards for bilateral kidneys.
Conclusions:
- Compensatory hypertrophy of single functioning kidneys occurs during fetal development.
- The observed larger size of single kidneys suggests effective adaptation and growth in pediatric patients.
Objective:
We investigated the sonographic measurements of the functioning kidney of children who were born with a single functioning kidney.
Materials And Methods:
In 56 children (0-6 years old) with one multicystic dysplastic kidney and one functioning kidney, the length of the functioning kidney was correlated with the child's age, weight, and body surface area.
Results:
The mean length of the kidney was 51.0 mm in children 2 weeks old, 56.8 mm at 9 weeks, 62.8 mm at 23 weeks, 69.6 mm at 46 weeks, 71.7 mm at 63 weeks, 78.0 mm at 112 weeks, 79.6 mm at 172 weeks, 86.7 mm at 225 weeks, and 91.0 mm at 279 weeks. When these results were compared with existing sonographic standards for bilateral functioning kidneys, the single functioning kidneys were longer by a statistically significant amount.
Conclusion:
Compensatory hypertrophy of single functioning kidneys occurs in utero. In children of the ages we investigated, the size of single functioning kidneys exceeded established standards for the size of bilateral functioning kidneys.