THE DIODRAST CLEARANCE AND RENAL BLOOD FLOW IN TOXEMIAS OF PREGNANCY

Abstract

Diodrast clearances, as a measure of renal blood flow, were done in 24 [female][female] in the acute phase of toxemia of pregnancy. In many cases, quantitative collections of urine were made by ureteral catheters. Clearances thus detd. were compared with clearances done with urines collected by washing out the bladder. Under certain conditions, bladder urine collections give satisfactory results. In toxemia of pregnancy, the renal blood flow is characteristically normal, and the hypertension is not, therefore, attributable to renal ischemia. For 21 normal women, the renal blood flow averaged 850 ml. per min., with a standard deviation of 126 [plus or minus] 13 ml. In 18 eclamptic and preeclamptic patients, the renal blood flow averaged 844 ml. per min., with a standard deviation of 253 [plus or minus] 27 ml. In chronic Bright''s disease, the renal blood flow was found to be diminished. The urea extraction ratio, for all patients, averaged 8.7%. The plasma clearance of endogenous creatinine seems to be of no value as a measure of glomerular filtration.