Amino acid concentrations in plasma and skeletal muscle after transurethral resection syndrome

The concentrations of amino acids in plasma and skeletal muscle were measured 1 and 4 hours after transurethral prostatic resection in three patients who developed symptoms of the transurethral resection syndrome. The irrigating solution contained 1.5% of glycine and 1% of ethanol. The concentrations of glycine in plasma and muscle were equal within an hour of the operation, and at four hours the abnormally high glycine concentration persisted in muscle, though it had decreased rapidly in plasma. Our data suggest that skeletal muscle is a quantitatively important reservoir for glycine when this amino acid is supplied in potentially toxic amounts, but that the plasma glycine concentration returns to normal as the patient's clinical condition improves.