RENAL COMPENSATORY HYPERTROPHY IN CHILDREN WITH UNILATERAL RENAL DISEASE

Abstract. Wilton, P., Aperia, A., Broberger, O. and Wikstad, I. (Departments of Pediatrics and Pediatric Radiology, Karolinska Institute, St. Göran's Children's Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden). Renal compensatory hypertrophy in children with unilateral renal disease. Acta Paediatr Scand, 69:83, 1980.—Kidney parenchymal size was estimated on urograms from 22 children with unilateral vesico-ureteral reflux (VUR), 14 children with bilateral VUR and seven children with unilateral heminephrectomy. In the bilateral VUR group, one kidney was roentgenologically normal and the other was growth-retarded. The GFR was estimated in 19 of the children. The age of the children was 3–17 years and all had a history of urinary tract infection. The size of the smaller kidney varied between 33–97% of normal. Children in the unilateral VUR group with a small kidney due to scarring and/or growth retardation showed a varying degree of compensatory hypertrophy in the contra-lateral kidney, which was proportional to the parenchymal reduction. This compensation was inhibited in the bilateral VUR group. There was a positive correlation between the GFR and kidney size