Use of a thermal pulse decay system to assess avian renal blood flow during reduced renal arterial perfusion pressure.

Using a simplified avian kidney model, renal arterial perfusion pressure (RAPP) was reduced from 120 (control) to 70 mmHg (near the glomerular filtration rate autoregulatory limit) and then to 46 mmHg (below the glomerular filtration rate autoregulatory range) in kidneys with ambient or partially restricted renal portal flow. Renal blood flow (RBF) was measured with a thermal pulse decay (TPD) system, using TPD thermistor probes inserted at three locations to evaluate regional differences in RBF. The clearance (CPAH) and extraction of p-aminohippuric acid were used to calculate renal plasma flow (RPF). CPAH, RPF, and RBF values were consistently lower for kidneys with restricted portal flow than for kidneys with ambient portal flow. Reducing RAPP to 46 mmHg did not significantly reduce CPAH, RPF, or RBF in the ambient group but did significantly reduce CPAH and RPF (regressed on RAPP) in the restricted group. RBF was not significantly affected when RAPP was reduced in the restricted group, although significant regional differences in blood flow were recorded. Renal vascular resistance decreased significantly as RAPP was reduced to 46 mmHg in the ambient group, confirming the renal autoregulatory response. In separate validation studies, significant reductions in RBF were detected by the TPD system during acute obstructions of portal and/or arterial flow. Overall, the results support previous evidence that avian RBF remains constant over a wide range of RAPPs. Observations of nonuniform intrarenal distributions of portal blood flow suggest that the portal system maintains the constancy of RBF in regions with proportionately high portal-to-arterial flow ratios.