Kidney length is the most useful parameter for clinical measurement of kidney size, and is useful to distinguish acute kidney injury from chronic kidney disease. In this prospective observational study of 437 normal children aged between 0 and < 13 years, kidney length was measured using sonography. There were good correlations between kidney length and somatic values, including age, weight, height, and body surface area. The rapid growth of height during the first 2 years of life was intimately associated with a similar increase in kidney length, suggesting that height should be considered an important factor correlating with kidney length. Based on our findings, the following regression equation for the reference values of bilateral kidney length for Korean children was obtained: kidney length of the right kidney (cm) = 0.051 × height (cm) + 2.102; kidney length of the left kidney (cm) = 0.051 × height (cm) + 2.280. This equation may aid in the diagnosis of various kidney disorders.

Although liver function test abnormality is frequently noted in children, there is no report about the distribution of the etiology and natural recovery time of the abnormal liver function. From March 2005 to February 2014, clinical information was retrospectively collected from 559 children who had abnormal liver function and were hospitalized or visited the outpatient clinic at the Jeju National University Hospital. The etiology of abnormal liver function was classified into groups and the natural recovery time of abnormal liver function was analyzed. The etiological groups of 559 patients included ‘nonspecific hepatitis’ in 42 (7.5%), ‘infection’ in 323 (57.8%), ‘rheumatologic and autoimmune’ in 66 (11.8%), ‘nonalcoholic fatty liver disease’ in 57 (10.2%), ‘anatomic’ in 12 (2.1%), ‘toxic’ in 13 (2.1%), ‘metabolic’ in 8 (1.4%), ‘hematologic’ in 7 (1.3%), ‘hemodynamic’ in 4 (0.7%), and ‘others’ in 27 (4.8%). Among the ‘infection’ group (57.8%), the ‘viral infection in the respiratory tract’ subgroup, which had 111 patients (19.8%), was the most common. The natural recovery time of the abnormal liver function was 27 days (median) in ‘nonspecific hepatitis’, 13 days (median) in ‘viral respiratory tract disease’, 16 days (median) in ‘viral gastroenteritis’, 42 days (median) in ‘viral febrile illness”, and 7 days (median) in “Kawasaki disease”. The information on the natural recovery time of abnormal liver function may help the physician to perform good clinical consultation for patients and their parents.

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