Nephrocalcinosis: detection by ultrasonography

Abdominal plain radiography has long been regarded as an excellent noninvasive method for the diagnosis of nephrocalcinosis.1 However, to be detected by radiography, the calcium deposition in the kidneys must be quite large. Thus, in the early stages of renal calcification, radiography often fails to detect nephrocalcinosis.2,3 In most cases treatment can arrest the pathologic process and prevent further damage to the kidneys; therefore, early detection is of crucial importance4,5 and diagnostic methods that are more sensitive than abdominal plain radiography are needed. We hearby describe our experience in two children in whom plain abdominal radiographs failed to document nephrocalcinosis. In constrast, ultrasonography clearly demonstrated the nephrocalcinosis, which was subsequently confirmed histologically by percutaneous needle biopsy.