A Study of Normal Renal Dimensions at Ultrasonography and Their Influencing Factors in an Indian Population

Cureus. 2023 Jun 21;15(6):e40748. doi: 10.7759/cureus.40748. eCollection 2023 Jun.

Abstract

Background: Kidney dimensions play one of the most vital roles in the diagnosis and identification of any renal disease. Renal dimensions are generally used in clinical practices to determine the size of the kidney as well as correlate with renal function to have a better understanding of acute and chronic renal diseases. This study aimed to find out the normal renal dimensions with the help of ultrasonography and their impact on the Indian population. Methods: Renal dimensions, which include parenchymatous thickness and length as well as the width of about 60 healthy adult Indian populations, were estimated with the help of sonography, and a detailed study has been performed on the difference observed based on age, sex, height, weight, body mass index, and body surface area. Results: There was no particular difference found on the basis of width and length between the left and right kidneys; however, the parenchymal thickness between the left and right has been shown to have a significant difference. The mean width, length, and parenchymal thickness were 4.6 ± 0.43, 9.64 ± 0.62, and 2.03 ± 0.1 cm, respectively. While doing estimation based on gender, it has been observed that there is a noticeable difference in width but no difference in height or parenchymal thickness. A significant diversity has been observed in patients in age groups above 49 compared to other age groups. A positive correlation with body weight, body height, and body mass index has also been observed in some cases. Conclusion: The given study has attempted to define the standard reference for renal dimension in the Indian census. The observations made in the given study demonstrated the possibility of renal dimensions being smaller in the Indian population in contrast to those of the Western population, which are much larger.

Keywords: chronic renal failure; indian population; parenchymatous thickness; renal dimension; renal length; renal width.