Bioimpedance and inferior vena cava diameter for assessment of dialysis dry weight

It is essential to carry out a clinical assessment of dry body weight in di alysis-dependent children in order to develop a suitable dialysis prescript ion. Bioimpedance analysis and inferior vena cava diameter (IVCD) have been evaluated and utilized in adults as noninvasive parameters for the assessm ent of dry weight and extracellular volume. Since there are no data availab le for normal children, we performed a prospective study to establish refer ence standards for a pediatric population (111 females and 95 males, aged 6 .8-16 years). We found strong col relations of both resistance and IVCD wit h age, height, weight, and, in particular, with body surface area. IVCD and resistance also correlated with each other. We also investigated 28 pediat ric dialysis patients who showed growth retardation and delayed puberty. Ap plying age-related reference intervals to pediatric dialysis patients resul ted in an underestimation of overhydration. The combination of both methods using body surface area-related reference limits with the clinical feature s of deviation of dry weight will serve as an adjunct to the assessment of post-dialysis dry weight.