Distribution of xenon-133 in mice from the urinary bladder.

The distribution of 133Xe from the bladder was investigated in sliced mice at autoradiography and quantitatively by counting tissue samples from the abdomen and thoracic cavity. Xenon is a highly diffusible inert gas that passes the bladder urothelium. In living mice activity could be seen in the intra-abdominal fat, liver and kidneys; the activity in the kidneys depended on reflux through the ureters. The xenon gas was found in the highest concentration in the lungs where it is expired. The study confirms the assumption that instillation of xenon in the bladder can be used as an indicator for permeability and flow in the wall of the urinary bladder.