Does Good Upper Tract Compliance Preserve Renal Function

We reviewed 111 pressure flow studies in an attempt to measure the compliance of each upper tract under study and to assess its clinical implications. Good compliance was seen in 64 dynamically unobstructed renal units as well as in 16 obstructed systems. The latter systems had less significant degrees of obstruction than a group of 31 obstructed systems with poor compliance. Obstruction with good compliance was associated with preservation of renal function as measured by diuresis renography, while impaired function was seen in systems with obstruction and poor compliance. The clinical implications of correlating the degree of obstruction, compliance and renal function are discussed.