Age-Specific Ultrasound Reference Data for the Laterolateral Rectal Diameter in Healthy Children

Background

Transabdominal ultrasonographic measurement of rectal diameter is increasingly used as a non-invasive adjunct for assessing rectal distension and fecal loading in children. However, interpretation is limited by the lack of age-stratified reference data in pediatric populations without bowel dysfunction. This study aimed to characterize the distribution of the laterolateral (LL) rectal diameter across childhood and adolescence and provide preliminary age-stratified empirical reference percentiles.