Passage of plasma through the kidney studied by external counting and autoradiography.

At different times after injection into the renal artery of131I-albumin, the distribution of the tracer in kidneys of the rabbit and the dog was illustrated by a series of autoradiograms. In order to determine the mean circulation time for albumin in the kidney, the radioactivity over the kidney was simultaneously registered by external monitoring. A short mean circulation time was measured for albumin (plasma) passing cortex, and a longer one for that fraction of the albumin that passed through medulla, papillae, and capsule. The investigation rendered probable that the mean circulation time for blood through the kidney determined by the external technique applies to blood passing cortex. The circulation times for blood through medulla, papillae, and capsule are not included in the calculation of the mean circulation time.