Is kidney volume associated with kidney function?

[aioo]

Hallo,

I am wondering if there is an association between kidney function/eGFR and kidney volume. (other than in the case of polycystic kidney disease). I could imagine that decreased kidney volume could be associated with decreased kidney function because of the loss of nephrons.

But so far I could not find a scientific article about this. Does anybody know more about this subject?

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[NITRAS]

I think it depends. DM can cause kidneys to get larger, but advanced chronic renal disease is clearly evident on CT scan. It is an interesting topic, but it would be hard to find utility compared with the general ease serum creatine levels.

 

[Clean7795]

Nephrons take space, so yes eventually sufficiently decreased functioning nephrons (i.e. parenchymal volume loss) leads to CKD. If you ask any radiologist it is something commonly seen and usually not commented on, unless it is specifically questioned.

I see the same in diabetics with pancreatic atrophy, demented patients with brain volume loss, hypothyroid patients and thyroid volume loss, etc.

You can probably find animal studies about this and small scattered retrospective studies here and there about it.

 

[DoctwoB]

Hallo,

I am wondering if there is an association between kidney function/eGFR and kidney volume. (other than in the case of polycystic kidney disease). I could imagine that decreased kidney volume could be associated with decreased kidney function because of the loss of nephrons.

But so far I could not find a scientific article about this. Does anybody know more about this subject?

To a first approximation, yes, renal parenchymal volume (not renal volume, as this can be distorted by cysts, masses, or hydronephrosis) correlates well with renal function. As a Urologist I can eyeball a kidney on a CT and give a reasonable guess as to what percentage of function it is supplying on a renal scan.

Note that this is mostly looking at relative function (one kidney vs. the other), not absolute function as in total GFR.

Correlation between CT Volumetry and Nuclear Medicine Split ... : Transplantation

valuating differential renal function and potential scarring. However, DMSA results are influenced by donor body habitus, kidney location, examiner, and operator disparity. The need for both imaging modalities adds another investigation for the patient, potential delays in treatment, and...

journals.lww.com

 

[NonNocere]

To a first approximation, yes, renal parenchymal volume (not renal volume, as this can be distorted by cysts, masses, or hydronephrosis) correlates well with renal function. As a Urologist I can eyeball a kidney on a CT and give a reasonable guess as to what percentage of function it is supplying on a renal scan.

Note that this is mostly looking at relative function (one kidney vs. the other), not absolute function as in total GFR.

Correlation between CT Volumetry and Nuclear Medicine Split ... : Transplantation

valuating differential renal function and potential scarring. However, DMSA results are influenced by donor body habitus, kidney location, examiner, and operator disparity. The need for both imaging modalities adds another investigation for the patient, potential delays in treatment, and...

journals.lww.com

Thanks for the answer and for including a link to the article.