Kidney size in normal children measured by sonography

Abstract

Kidney length and depth were measured by sonography in 46 normal children fro 0 to 16 years of age. Sonography was used to obtain kidney measurements without the known magnification caused by factors of chemical and photographic nature seen by urography. The results of our study were used to control the age-adapted equipment for renography in children. There was a good correlation between kidney length and depth and variables like age, weight, height and body surface area. The best values were found in the correlations to body surface area. We could confirm the previous findings by other methods of kidney size measurements in children that there is no significant difference in kidney length between boys and girls. The left kidney is slightly longer than the right one and the kidney centre distance is slightly but significantly larger on the left side. No such difference was present in the distance skin to kidney surface.