[A study of renal function using radioisotope methods in patients with diabetic nephropathy]

An earlier and more manifested affect of glomerular function was established during the examination of 35 patients with diabetic nephropathy, 14 of them in a stage of renal insufficiency, with the help of radioisotope clearance methods (of EDTA, labelled with 169Yb for the determination of glomerular function and of hippuran, labelled with 131J for the determination of the renal plasma flow). The renal plasma flow is affected to a considerably more restricted extent. The combination of diabetic nephropathy with chronic pyelonephritis, found in 10 patients, does not affect substantially the mentioned functions of the kidney, but additional investigations were considered necessary in that field. Bilateral symmetric alterations are more frequently the secretory and excretory segmentsmthe establishment of unilateral alterations may speak of the presence of chronic pyelonephritis of uropathic character. The radioisotope methods, because of their accessibility and less possibilities for errors are recommended for renal functional investigations.