Renal parenchymal radiographic measurement in infants and children.

An analysis of the urograms of 433 pairs of normal human kidneys performed on patients ranging from birth to 80 years was carried out with the object of relating the mass of the renal parenchyma to the overall size of the kidney at different ages. Statistical analysis of the results showed that there was a highly significant difference in the ratio of mass to overall size in the age periods of 0-5 and 5-10 years, with a significant difference in the third quinquenium. Adult proportions are not reached until the latter half of the second decade of life. Recognition of this aspect of the process of maturation of normal kidneys is essential if radiographic measurement is to be used as a means of estimating kidney damage in the very young.