Abstract
We determined the size of the kidneys by the ultrasonotomography and examined the degree of renal parenchymal echogenicity in 200 adults with normal renal function and 89 patients with chronic renal failure.
The mean size of 400 normal adults' kidneys measured three-dimentionally was 102±6.9mm in length, 44±5.4mm in thickness and 51±5.3mm in width. In this present stuty, there was no statistically significant difference in kidney size between right and left kidneys, between male and female subjects, and among age groups.
The mean size of the 178 kidneys of patients with chronic renal failure was 74±10.0mm in length and 38±5.9mm in thickness, and the disturbed kidneys were clearly more atrophic than the normal kidneys (p<0.5). The serum creatinine level was also well correlation with the kidney size. As for renal parenchymal echogenicity, the normal kidneys showed a lower echo level than the liver parenchyma in all subjects, but this tendency was observed in only 6% of the kidneys of patients with renal failure.
The degree of renal parenchymal echogenicity was clearly higher in disturbed kidneys than in normal kidneys. As for the relationship between serum creatinine level and echogenicity, accompanying with renal function decreases, echogenicity showed a tendency to be strong.
