Determination of Organ Volume

Abstract

Determination of the volume of individual organs may be of interest in several connections, for example, every clinical examination of a patient includes an estimation of the size of the thyroid gland, the liver, and the spleen. In many situations we find it of great importance to have knowledge about whether these organs are enlarged and to be able to record changes in their size during the course of disease or treatment. Clinical estimation, radiographic, or isotopic studies are of great help in many situations. Valuable information may be obtained by correlating the volume to various parameters of organ function in order to obtain information about the functional capacity per unit volume. Finally, the determination of renal graft volume may be of importance in the diagnosis of acute rejection.