Abstract
Comparative studies on the endogenous creatinine and urea clearances were undertaken in 28 paraplegic and tetraplegic patients. The patients were studied at various stages following spinal cord injury. Special attention was paid to the renal function in the immediate and very early stages after spinal cord transection.
The creatinine clearance test was found superior to the urea clearance test as a measure of glomerular filtration rate.
No significant influence of the level of the spinal cord transection on renal function was observed.
In the acute stages glomerular filtration rate as indicated by the creatinine clearances test was found remarkably normal. In contrast the blood urea level was profoundly raised as a reflection of the tissue breakdown.
Our findings of low creatinine clearance in the chronic cases were in accordance with the results of other workers in this field, indicating that the main cause of renal damage is chronic pyelonephritis.
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Doggart, J., Guttmann, L. & Silver, J. Comparative studies on endogenous creatinine and urea clearances in paraplegics and tetraplegics. Spinal Cord 3, 229–242 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.1965.39
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.1965.39
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