The effects of total renal ischemia on canine renal function

Forty-two healthy mongrel dogs were subjected to complete renal arterial occlusion of varying duration ranging from 1 to 3 hours. A contralateral nephrectomy was performed simultaneously. The post-operative effect of ischemia was followed with serial serum creatinine determinations and serial 131I hippuran renograms. Each animal was followed for four weeks from the date of the operation, or until death. An attempt was made to define the ischemic tolerance of the canine kidney. At the same time, correlation between serum creatinine and renogram was attempted, to determine the validity of the latter in evaluating renal function. No detectable renal damage was noticed in control and 1/2 hour ischemia groups. A variable amount of reversible renal insufficiency was evident in ischemia groups of 1-2 hours duration. The 50 % lethal dose of complete renal ischemia was demonstrated to be two hours. A qualitative classification of renograms was developed, and this was shown to correlate well with other parameters of renal function. The renogram was found to be particularly reliable in the acute phase of renal damage. Clinical application of the information obtained was discussed specifically with respect to human cadaveric renal homo transplantation