Effect of Unilateral Nephrectomy on Determination of Inulin Space in Dogs

¹ From the Department of Medicine and Surgery, Veterans Administration Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio

When the inulin space in dogs is measured using the 5-hour urine recovery method before and after unilateral nephrectomy there is an apparent decrease postoperatively. The prenephrectomy ‘urine recovery’ inulin space and the postnephrectomy space determined by the ‘difference’ method are virtually the same. The apparent reduction may be partly due to the reduction in renal dead space but is chiefly due to the effect of the postnephrectomy reduction in inulin clearance on the completeness of recovery of inulin in the postinfusion urine collection.