Serum and urinary enzyme activity after renal infarction.

Recently it has been observed that the activity of certain enzymes in serum and urine may be increased after renal infarction. Although aortography or selective renal angiography should be the diagnostic corner-stone on which one would proceed to embolectomy, it is possible that enzyme assays may serve as laboratory aids to suggest or confirm the diagnosis. This paper reviews the few existing clinical and experimental studies and reports on two patients who had a total of three episodes of renal infarction. Serial determinations after one episode showed increased activity of serum oxaloacetic glutamic transaminase (SGOT) and of lactic acid dehydrogenase (LDH) and alkaline phosphatase in the serum and urine; some elevated serum LDH and SGOT values were recorded after the other two infarctions. The time of onset and duration of these increases are discussed, and the possible difficulty in differentiating renal from myocardial infarction is illustrated.