RENAL FUNCTION AND KIDNEY SIZE FOLLOWING HYPOPHYSECTOMY IN MAN

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Abstract
Measurements of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and renal plasma flow (RPF) were performed in close connection with roentgenographic estimation of kidney size, before and after hypophysectomy, in 10 patients (4 cases of metastatic mammary carcinoma, 5 cases of diabetic retinopathy and 1 case of acromegaly). Hypophysectomy was regularly followed by a decrease in GFR and RPF. In most cases, a reduction in the roentgenographic kidney size was also observed. However, the changes in the roentgenographic kidney size and calculated kidney weight after hypophysectomy were smaller and occurred at a slower rate than the alterations in GFR and RPF. The results favour the view that, primarily, the decrease in GFR and RPF following hypophysectomy is essentially functional rather than due to a reduced kidney mass.