Intrarenal Distribution of Nutrient Blood Flow Determined with Krypton 85 in the Unanesthetized Dog

A method has been described for the measurement, by means of Kr 85 , of intrarenal nutrient blood flow distribution in the unanesthetized dog. Injection of the isotope into the renal artery is followed by a multi-exponential disappearance curve which can be obtained by external monitoring with a scintillation detector. In acute experiments autoradiographs have demonstrated that the first exponential component represents cortical blood flow; the second, outer medullary blood flow : the third, inner medullary blood flow; and the fourth, hilar and perirenal fat blood flow. The average cortical blood flow in 65 experiments in five kidneys of four nnanesthetized dogs was 472 ml/100 g/min, the outer medullary 132 ml/100 g/min, and the inner medullary 17 ml/100 g/min. Eighty per cent of the radioactivity was distributed initially to the cortex, 16% to the outer medulla, and 2% to the inner medulla. The hilar and perirenal fat, which receives approximately 2% of the initial radioactivity, was estimated to have a flow rate of 21 ml/100 g/min. In addition, a method for the rapid determination of serial cortical blood flow rates has been described. The importance of these findings has been discussed with reference to the anatomy of the kidney, and to the countercurrent concept as it applies to passive reabsorption of lipid soluble substances, and to the maintenance of an osmotic gradient.