Ultrasound characteristics and correlation with estimated glomerular filtration rate in patients with chronic kidney disease: A facility-based cross-sectional study

Objective To evaluate grayscale sonographic characteristics and their correlation with the estimated glomerular filtration rate. Methodology: This cross-sectional study included 103 patients with stage III and above chronic kidney disease. Correlation between ultrasonography measurements and estimated glomerular filtration rate was performed. Differences in the mean estimated glomerular filtration rate were evaluated using one-way analysis of variance. Results The mean (± SD) estimated glomerular filtration rate was 34.47 ± 15.81 mL/min/1.73 m 2 (range: 9.6–45.9 mL/min/1.73 m 2 ). The mean (± SD) average renal length was 8.97 ± 1.42 cm. The mean parenchymal and cortical thicknesses were 1.36 ± 0.45 and 0.85  ± 0.27 cm, respectively. There was a significant correlation between the estimated glomerular filtration rate and the average renal length, relative renal length, and parenchymal thickness (r = 0.26, p = 0.009; r = 0.25, p = 0.01; and r = 0.25, p = 0.01, respectively). A statistically significant negative correlation was observed between renal echogenicity and estimated glomerular filtration rate (p < 0.001). Conclusion A correlation was noted between the degree of renal function loss and sonographic findings. This indicates that ultrasound can be used in combination with other modalities for the diagnosis, assessment, and monitoring of chronic kidney disease.