Compensatory renal hypertrophia in patients undergoing unilateral nephrectomy

Estimations of the residual glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were made from renography and GFR measurements before unilateral nephrectomy in 28 patients aged 42-77 years. The GFR was measured one week and three months after the operation and comparisons were made between the function of the remaining kidney and the preoperative estimate. In 23 patients where the removed kidney had some function, the mean GFR increased by 32% and 22% after one week and three months, respectively. In 5 patients where the removed kidney had no function, no compensatory hypertrophy occurred.