Nomograms of total renal volume, urinary bladder volume and bladder wall thickness index in 3,376 children with a normal urinary tract

Background: We have previously shown that urinary bladder volume index (BVI = length × width × depth of bladder) and bladder volume wall thickness index (BVWI = BVI at full bladder/average bladder wall thickness) are useful indicators of bladder dysfunction in children with enuresis and urinary tract infection. These indices show a good correlation with urodynamic studies. We have expanded the study to include normal paediatric subjects with a wide age range. We illustrate a simple sonography protocol with nomograms of different parameters, which provide useful references for functional assessment in children with urological abnormalities. Objective: To construct nomograms of total renal volume, maximum BVI and BVWI based on a Chinese paediatric population with age range from newborn to adolescence. Materials and methods: Sonography was performed in consecutive children with normal urinary tracts on imaging, using a standardized protocol. Data were collected for construction of nomograms for different parameters. Results: Nomograms of total renal volume, BVI and BVWI were constructed based on 3,376 consecutive paediatric subjects. All parameters consistently increased with age. Conclusion: Nomograms of total renal volume, BVI and BVWI could provide useful references for studying bladder dysfunction in children using noninvasive dynamic sonography.