What the study found
The study found updated ultrasound reference ranges for normal pediatric liver size. These ranges were based on age and height, and the authors report that normal liver size appears slightly higher than in earlier reports.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors state that pediatric liver size is an important part of abdominal imaging because it reflects normal liver growth and possible disease. They conclude that updated reference ranges and nomograms may support more contemporary assessments of normal liver size.
What the researchers tested
The researchers reviewed radiology reports from January 2014 to December 2024 for patients under 18 years old with a normal abdominal ultrasound impression. They excluded patients with liver disease or abnormal aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) results, then used generalized additive models for location, scale, and shape (GAMLSS) with the Box-Cox power exponential distribution to build reference ranges.
What worked and what didn't
A total of 4,611 abdominal ultrasound examinations met the study criteria, including 2,055 males and 2,556 females. Liver size ranged from 4.9 to 5.5 cm at birth and increased with age to 17.2 cm in adolescents aged 17-18 years; in the subset with height data, liver size showed a more linear increase with height and reached 17.5 cm at 180 cm.
What to keep in mind
This was a retrospective study from one institution, based on ultrasound reports labeled normal. The abstract does not describe other limitations beyond the inclusion and exclusion criteria used for the reference population.
Key points
- The study created updated pediatric liver size reference ranges using ultrasound.
- Age-based liver size increased from 4.9-5.5 cm at birth to 17.2 cm at ages 17-18 years.
- Height-based modeling showed a more linear relationship between liver size and height.
- The reference ranges were based on 4,611 ultrasound examinations from patients under 18 years old.
- The authors report normal liver size may be slightly higher than previously reported.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Updated pediatric liver size ranges are slightly higher than prior reports
- Authors:
- Amirreza Manteghinejad, Marcus Meneses, Julian López Rippe, Erica L. Riedesel, Summer L. Kaplan
- Institutions:
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia University, Philadelphia University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Pennsylvania
- Publication date:
- 2026-04-24
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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