Renal Size of Apparently Healthy Primary School Children in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction:  The  assessment  of kidney size isavaluable parameter for both diagnostic and prognostic purposes . To evaluate the abnormalities of kidney sizes, it is important to know the normal limits in ourpopulation.

Aim: To determine the mean renal sizes inrelation to age, sex, weightand height among apparently healthy school children which will aid in developing renal size normogram for use inclinical practice.

Methods: This was a cross sectional study carried out among 455 children aged 6 to 12 years. The sonographic assessment of renal sizes (length, width, depth and volume) of each kidney was carried out using a portable real time ultrasound machine model  DP-1100  PLUS  MINDRAY fitted with 3.5MHz curvilinear probe. The age, weights and heights of the children were recorded and related to thekidney sizes.  volume was52.l ± 15.4cm and 52.2 ± 15.4 cm3on the right and left kidneys respectively.There was no significant difference in the length and volume between the right and left kidneys in the study population and no significant gender difference in the renal sizes of the study population. Therenal length increased from 77.6± 5.7mm at 6years to 85.7 ± 6.lmm at 12years of age while the renal volume increased from 45.6 ± 13.3cm3 at 6years to 60.6 ± 17.4cm3 at 12years. There was a significant positive correlation of renal size with age, weight and height.

Conclusion: The renal length and volume significantly correlated with age, weight and height. This study has provided the renal sizes of normal school age children in Port Harcourt, Nigeria and regression equations for predicting renal length and volume in clinical practice.

Keywords: Renal size, Ultrasound, Age, Weight, Height, School Children, Port Harcourt, Nigeria