[Peritoneal equilibration test: actuality and future perspectives]

The most widely used peritoneal function test is the peritoneal equilibration test (PET), developed and described by Twardowski in 1987. PET is performed using a 2.27% glucose solution and it lasts 4 hours. It measures peritoneal solute transport and ultrafiltration. PET gives the possibility to categorise patients (high, high-average, low-average and low transporters). However, a PET with 3.86% glucose provides better information on ultrafiltration and the phenomenon of sodium sieving provides an assessment of free water transport. Two recently developed tests (Mini-PET, Double Mini-PET) are promising tools to assess the free water transport and the osmotic conductance to glucose. The above new insights in the peritoneal function need of a new standardization of the PET. It possible that the ''new PET'' will be performed by a machine (PET-machine) in order to avoid the mistakes during the performance of manual PET and to allow an universal standardization of the test.