Hypertension with Arteriolar and Glomerular Changes in the Albino Rat Following Subtotal Nephrectomy

Chanutin and Ferris1 have already reported hypertension and renal insufficiency in rats following partial nephrectomy. This report describes briefly the histological changes in the kidney stump of rats at intervals after subtotal nephrectomy and records additional blood pressure observations.In this experiment 184 Wistar strain albino rats were studied. In 157 of these, approximately two-thirds of the left kidney was removed by polar ligation, and the remaining right kidney was excised one week later. Of 27 control animals, each had 2 laparotomies (one week apart) when the kidneys were exposed, handled and replaced intact. After the operative procedures all of the animals were fed on a normal balanced diet containing approximately 20% protein. At intervals varying from one to 281 days after second operation, a direct carotid blood pressure reading was made (ether anesthesia), and autopsy then performed. Infection was not encountered except in rare instances, and did not affect the results reported below. ...