The collateral blood flow and hippuran clearance of the rabbit kidney after occlusion of the renal artery

The sub-peritoneal arterial plexus of Sir William Turner

Sir William Turner (1832-1916) was Professor of Anatomy at the University of Edinburgh. His classic paper of 1863 on the anastomoses between the parietal and visceral branches of the abdominal aorta, later known as the sub-peritoneal arterial plexus of Turner, has mostly been forgotten. Located in the retroperitoneum and surrounding the kidneys and other adjacent structures, this plexus is an important route of collateral circulation. In the current paper, we discuss the sub-peritoneal arterial plexus as described by Turner in 1863 and review the literature concerning its potential clinical significance in the kidney, emphasizing its probable role in the metastatic spread of various tumors of abdominal organs and in the continuing viability of the kidney after renal artery occlusion. A biographical sketch of Sir William Turner is also presented.

Evaluation of renal ischemia with 99mTc-pyrophosphate

Renal ischemia injury was induced by transient 30-min occlusion of the main artery in five rabbits and by transient 60-min occlusion in four rabbits. The vessels to the contralateral kidneys were ligated in all nine animals and in six additional control rabbits. Renal blood flow was restored immediately following the transient ischemia. Twenty-four hours later, 99mTc-pyrophosphate was injected and renal uptake was monitored for 100 s and 10-min intervals for 90 min following injection. At 90 min postinjection, the animals were killed and the percent injected dose remaining in the kidneys was calculated for three animals in each group. At 60 min postinjection, in vivo activity in the 30-min ischemic kidneys was 2.3 times greater than that of controls, and activity in the 60-min ischemic kidneys 4.6 times greater than that of controls. These results suggest that 99mTc-pyrophosphate scanning may be useful in assessing slight ischemic damage to the kidney.

The effect of chlorpromazine pretreatment on the vascular function of kidneys damaged by warm ischaemia and cold storage in Collins' solution

Vascular resistance was determined in 40 rabbit kidneys after graded warm ischaemia up to 60 minutes and preservation in Collins' solution for 24 and 48 hours. Half of the animals were treated with chlorpromazine 3.5 mg/kg before induction of the ischaemia. Vascular function was determined during short-term perfusion with TIS-U-SOL at 4 degrees C. The experiments showed that warm ischaemia of 30 and 60 minutes duration gave an increase in vascular resistance. The increase was, however, smaller in kidneys pretreated with chlorpromazine. Preservation in Collins' solution for 24 and 48 hours did not change this correlation. Determination of the weights and thereby formation of oedema showed that all kidneys preserved had a small increase in weight. No difference was found between pretreated kidneys and untreated kidneys. It is concluded that pretreatment with chlorpromazine is capable of diminishing vascular contraction during the warm ischaemic period and that preservation in Collins' solution for up to 48 hours does not alter this beneficial effect.

The effect of chlorpromazine pretreatment on renal function and pathology in kidneys damaged by warm ischaemia

The influence of chlorpromazine pretreatment on kidney function and survival after temporary occlusion of the renal artery was investigated. Three hours of clamping of the renal artery and contralateral nephrectomy was performed in a group of ten rabbits pretreated with 3.5 mg/kg chlorpromazine and compared with a previously published control group of untreated animals. Chlorpromazine pretreatment improved survival. The kidney function, estimated by serum-creatinine, showed an earlier onset of function and the surviving animals regained nearly normal function. Histological examination revealed mild to moderate ischaemic changes, whereas the control group showed more profound damages.

The influence of warm ischaemia on renal function and pathology

Temporary occlusion of the left renal artery for 0-180 min after contralateral nephrectomy was undertaken in 51 rabbits. The correlation between the injury of warm ischaemia and kidney function, survival and histology was evaluated. After 0, 60, 90 and 120 min occlusion, all animals survived and normal renal function was restored. After occlusion for 150 min only 4 of 10 animals survived, and normal renal function was not re-established. 180 min occlusion was detrimental to the animals. Only one out of ten survived with severely damaged kidney function. Histological findings were consistent with the experimental observations of renal function.