Sonographic assessment of liver and spleen size based on age, height, and weight: evaluation of Jordanian children

BACKGROUND: The growth of the liver and spleen is a dynamic process in children. and is related to the somatic parameters of the child, and may be affected by many diseases in children. It is of paramount importance to have standard reference values for the size of these organs for diagnostic and prognostic purposes. The aim of our study was to provide practical and reliable normal reference values for the size of the liver and spleen in children and to correlate the values with age, height, and weight. METHODS: Three hundred fifteen children (142 boys and 173 girls) were prospectively examined by ultrasound due to problems unrelated to the liver or spleen. All of the subjects had normal sonographic appearance of their organs. The ages of the subjects ranged from newborns to 14 years. The liver and spleen size was correlated with age, height, and weight. The spleen size was compared with previous internationally published data. RESULTS: There was no statistical significant difference in the size of the liver and spleen between boys and girls (P>0.05). There was steady increase in the size of the liver and spleen, with good correlation with age and all the somatic parameters. The spleen size was in close proximity to those previously reported in the literature. CONCLUSIONS: Standard spleen and liver size reference values were obtained by ultrasound for Jordanian children and were in concordance with international values.