Evaluation and characteristics of currently available inulin.

Inulin was not available for clinical testing in the United States between February 1973 and July 1975 because the raw material received in the United States differed from previously manufactured lots in molecular weight, glucose content, optical rotation, melting point, and water solubility. The comparability of the "new" and "old" inulin preparations was assessed in 12 adult male spinal cord injury patients, seven with normal renal function and five with compromised function. The "new" inulin proved to be as accurate and safe an agent for the determination of glomerular filtration rate as the previously available material in both groups of patients, and was made available for general clinical use in the United States in July 1975.