NEPHROMEGALY IN HYPERALIMENTATION

Nephromegaly associated with hyperalimentation and its effect on renal function were studied. Renal size was determined in 44 patients receiving total parenteral nutrition (TPN). Of 26 patients in whom kidney size could be determined before and during TPN, all but one had normal-size kidneys before TPN. Six had no increase in renal size, and kidneys increased in size in 20. One or both kidneys became abnormally large in 9 patients. There was no detectable change in renal function and kidneys decreased in size upon discontinuation of hyperalimentation. Abnormal renal size bore no relation with weight gain or liver function tests.