Kidney length normative values in children aged 0–19 years — a multicenter study
Łukasz Obrycki, Jędrzej Sarnecki, Marianna Lichosik, Małgorzata Sopińska, Małgorzata Placzyńska, Małgorzata Stańczyk, Julia Mirecka, Agnieszka Wasilewska, Maciej Michalski, Weronika Lewandowska, Tadeusz Dereziński, Michał Pac, Natalia Szwarc, Karol Annusewicz, Viktoriia Rekuta, Karolis Ažukaitis, Andrius Čekuolis, Aldona Wierzbicka, Augustina Jankauskienė, Bolesław Kalicki, Katarzyna Jobs, Marcin Tkaczyk, Janusz Feber, Mieczysław Litwin
Abstract
Abstract Background Currently used pediatric kidney length normative values are based on small single-center studies, do not include kidney function assessment, and focus mostly on newborns and infants. We aimed to develop ultrasound-based kidney length normative values derived from a large group of European Caucasian children with normal kidney function. Methods Out of 1,782 children aged 0–19 years, 1,758 individuals with no present or past kidney disease and normal estimated glomerular filtration rate had sonographic assessment of kidney length. The results were correlated with anthropometric parameters and estimated glomerular filtration rate. Kidney length was correlated with age, height, body surface area, and body mass index. Height-related kidney length curves and table were generated using the LMS method. Multivariate regression analysis with collinearity checks was used to evaluate kidney length predictors. Results There was no significant difference in kidney size in relation to height between boys and girls. We found significant ( p < 0.001), but clinically unimportant (Cohen’s D effect size = 0.04 and 0.06) differences between prone vs. supine position (mean paired difference = 0.64 mm, 95% CI = 0.49–0.77) and left vs. right kidneys (mean paired difference = 1.03 mm, 95% CI = 0.83–1.21), respectively. For kidney length prediction, the highest coefficient correlation was observed with height (adjusted R 2 = 0.87, p < 0.0001). Conclusions We present height-related LMS-percentile curves and tables of kidney length which may serve as normative values for kidney length in children from birth to 19 years of age. The most significant predictor of kidney length was statural height. Graphic Abstract