ROLE OF ULTRASOUND IN DIAGNOSIS OF DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY IN ADULT

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ROLE OF ULTRASOUND IN DIAGNOSIS OF DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY IN ADULT

Volume (1), Issue (2) , Dec 2025

Published: 12/30/2025

Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, Nephropathy, Ultrasound scan, ESRD

Abstract: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a condition marked by insufficient regulation of blood glucose levels. It includes various subtypes such as type 1, type 2, maturity-onset diabetes of the young, gestational diabetes, neonatal diabetes, and steroid-induced diabetes. The purpose of the study was to assess the role of ultrasound imaging in diagnosing Diabetic Nephropathy and to relate ultrasonographic kidney characteristics to laboratory results. A case series study was carried out at the Department of Radiology and Diabetic Center of Ajdabia Hospital in Libya, from March 2023 to December 2023, involving Libyan diabetic patients aged between 18 and 85 years. The results indicated that 149 diabetic patients participated, with ages spanning from 18 to 85. The predominant finding from the kidney ultrasound scans was normal. A statistical correlation was identified between Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) and the duration of Diabetes Mellitus (p value < 0.05). However, no significant statistical differences were observed between the duration of DM and the results of the Renal Function Test (RFT), Albuminuria, kidney size, parenchymal thickness, and parenchymal echogenicity (P value > 0.05). In conclusion, it is suggested that renal length and parenchymal thickness are not particularly reliable indicators of the severity or progression of diabetic nephropathy. Conversely, cortical hyperechogenicity has been recognized as a sign of renal functional impairment. Thus, transabdominal ultrasonography seems to be an effective technique for identifying early renal changes in diabetic patients.

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