Abstract
In this study, we aimed to develop a new automated method for kidney volume measurement in children using ultrasonography (US) with image pre-processing and hybrid learning and to formulate an equation to calculate the expected kidney volume. The volumes of 282 kidneys (141 subjects, <19 years old) with normal function and structure were measured using US. The volumes of 58 kidneys in 29 subjects who underwent US and computed tomography (CT) were determined by image segmentation and compared to those calculated by the conventional ellipsoidal method and CT using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). An expected kidney volume equation was developed using multivariate regression analysis. Manual image segmentation was automated using hybrid learning to calculate the kidney volume. The ICCs for volume determined by image segmentation and ellipsoidal method were significantly different, while that for volume calculated by hybrid learning was significantly higher than that for ellipsoidal method. Volume determined by image segmentation was significantly correlated with weight, body surface area, and height. Expected kidney volume was calculated as (2.22 × weight (kg) + 0.252 × height (cm) + 5.138). This method will be valuable in establishing an age-matched normal kidney growth chart through the accumulation and analysis of large-scale data.
Highlights
Kidney size is well correlated with renal function, and a change in kidney size is an important factor for evaluating renal condition in patients with kidney disease [1,2,3]
Given that kidney length is a poor predictor of renal parenchymal volume and renal function, kidney volume is a better indicator of kidney size change [10,11,12]
We have proved the reliability of the kidney volume calculation using the proposed process by comparing it to the gold standard kidney volume measurement methods using computed tomography (CT) or MRI
Summary
Kidney size is well correlated with renal function, and a change in kidney size is an important factor for evaluating renal condition in patients with kidney disease [1,2,3].In chronic kidney disease, the kidney’s size decreases with disease progression due to a reduction in nephron mass, whereas in polycystic kidney disease, it increases with the functional decline due to the growth of cysts [4,5,6]. Kidney size is well correlated with renal function, and a change in kidney size is an important factor for evaluating renal condition in patients with kidney disease [1,2,3]. Reliable reference data based on accurate kidney size measurements are essential for evaluating the course of renal disease and anomalies in children [7,8,9]. The renal length shows a linear correlation with the kidney size and is usually used as a clinical indicator of kidney size changes due to the simplicity of the measurement. Given that kidney length is a poor predictor of renal parenchymal volume and renal function, kidney volume is a better indicator of kidney size change [10,11,12].
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