A method for rapid measurement of intrarenal and other tissue pressures

Abstract

A rapid method for measuring tissue pressures has been designed. A pressure of 250 mm. Hg is imposed on a manometer. Then the system is allowed to discharge into a needle cannula inserted in the tissue. The manometer forces out fluid (about 10 c.mm.) until the pressure within it is the same as that within the tissue. Records of the pressure changes are made. Each observation takes about a minute. The method gives results that are closely comparable with other reports of tissue pressures. With this method, the pressure in the following organs of dogs was found to be: kidney, 26 mm. Hg, cerebral cortex, 0 to 5 mm., muscle, 1 to 10 mm., spleen, S to 16 mm., subcutaneous tissue, 0 to 3 mm., and liver -2 to 14 mm. The reliability of the method was tested on the kidneys of decerebrate dogs. Measurements were found to be the same within narrow limits over a period of an hour; they were the same when taken simultaneously in different regions of the same kidney or in opposite kidneys. They were independent of the volume of fluid forced into the tissue. Similar pressures were observed with 1 or 5 or 10 holes bored in the shaft of the cannulating needle. The intrarenal pressure was also measured by inserting a needle cannula into the tissue and then allowing the pressure to reach equilibrium passively with a manometer. This method gave similar results. The intrarenal pressure has now found to be the same when measured by three different technics.