The relationship between splenic length in healthy children from the Eastern Anatolia Region and sex, age, body height and weight

摘要

Purpose: The normal limits of spleen size must be known in order for pathological changesto be noticed. The aim of this retrospective study is to determine the normal limits ofspleen size in healthy children and to reveal their relation to sex, age, body height andweight. Patients and methods: Three hundred and ten children (150 girls and 160 boys)between 0–16 years of age in Eastern Anatolia Region who had normal spleen ultrasoundappearances were included in this study. The greatest longitudinal distance of the spleenfrom the dome to the tip (splenic length) measured at the hilum in the coronal planewas obtained by ultrasonography. Results: There was no significant difference betweenthe sexes in children. Also, no statistically significant differences were found between thetwo sexes in any age group for splenic length (t-test, p > 0.05). Therefore, all data wererearranged without being separated according to sex. The correlation analysis has showna positive and significant correlation between splenic length and age, body height, andweight, with high correlation coefficients (r > 0.80). Splenic length showed the strongestcorrelation with body height. Conclusion: In children clinically suspected of organomegaly,splenic length can be used to assess organ size. The presented data can be applied toroutine ultrasonography examinations.