Abstract
ABSTRACT
Importance
Kidney dimensions are critical in pediatric urology for assessing and monitoring various conditions.
Objective
This study aimed to establish normative renal growth curves for Chinese children aged 0–14 years using ultrasound imaging and to examine the influence of age, height, and sex on kidney dimensions.
Methods
In this cross‐sectional study, we enrolled 6033 healthy children (aged 0–14 years) at our tertiary care center between June 2016 and July 2023. Standardized renal ultrasonography was performed by certified sonographers to obtain precise measurements of kidney length and width. We established comprehensive percentile‐based reference ranges (P3–P97) stratified by height. Regression analysis was used to evaluate developmental patterns, with particular attention to height‐related growth trajectories.
Results
The left kidney was consistently larger than the right in both length and width across all ages and sexes (
P
P
P
R
2
= 0.884 vs.
R
2
= 0.353/0.709), particularly in children under 1 year of age.
Interpretation
This study provides comprehensive reference data for renal development in Chinese children aged 0–14 years, highlighting age‐related patterns and strong positive associations with height. Ultrasound proves to be a reliable and non‐invasive tool for monitoring renal growth and detecting abnormalities.