Relationship Of Renal Cortical Echogenicity In Renal Ultrasonography With Course Of Disease In Children With Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome

BackgroundIt is important to find a predictor for the course of Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome for better planning of treatment. Renal cortical echogenicity in ultrasonography has been postulated as a marker for the course of renal disease. The present study aimed at evaluating the relationship between renal cortical echogenicity and the course of Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome in children.Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the samples were consisted of 42 patients under 17 years old with Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome, who was admitted to Imam Reza Hospital, Kermanshah city, Iran, during 2015-2016. The echogenicity of renal cortex and liver was compared using the sonography scanning, and divided into three grades; grade (0): echogenicity of the renal cortex less than that of the liver, grade (1): echogenicity of the renal cortex is equal to that of the liver, and grade (2): The renal cortical echogenicity is greater than that of the liver.Results: Twenty-five patients (59.5%) were male and 17 patients (40.5%) were female. Twenty-seven patients (64.2%) were steroid-responsive, 10 patients (23.8%) were steroid-dependent and five patients (11.9%) were steroid-resistant. There was no statistically significant relationship between genders and the steroid response (p=81), but there was a statistically significant relationship between the course of the disease and the renal cortical echogenicity (p=0.01).ConclusionThe results showed a relationship between steroid response and the course of the disease with renal cortex echogenicity, which means that higher renal cortical echogenicity may be a predictor of a more complicated course in Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome. Moreover, the small sample size, especially in the steroid-resistant group, was a limitation in the present study.