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Updated: Jan 26, 2026

Estimation of Nephron Number in Whole Kidney using the Acid Maceration Method
Published on: May 22, 2019
How Do Kidneys Adapt to a Deficit or Loss in Nephron Number?
Hadi Fattah1,2, Anita Layton3,4, Volker Vallon1,2
1Departments of Medicine and Pharmacology, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, University of California San Diego , San Diego, California.
Abstract:
A deficit or loss in the number of nephrons, the functional unit of the kidney, can induce compensatory growth and hyperfunction of remaining nephrons. An increase in single nephron glomerular filtration rate (SNGFR) aims to compensate but may be deleterious in the long term. The increase in SNGFR is determined by the dynamics of nephron loss, total remaining GFR, the body's excretory demand, and the functional capacity to sustain single nephron hyperfunction.
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