The minimal importance of the hollow viscera to peritoneal transport during peritoneal dialysis in the rat.

The authors investigated whether the abdominal viscera are important surfaces for peritoneal transport by performing peritoneal dialysis in rats without their abdominal viscera and again when the parietal walls were shielded from contact with dialysate. Urea, creatinine, glucose, and inulin were added to the peritoneal cavity and the percentage of the administered dose absorbed was calculated. Controls with and without parietal shields only absorbed 11% more urea and creatinine, 5-15% more glucose, and 7-12% more inulin, respectively, than eviscerated rats. The findings raise the possibility that the abdominal contents do not account for most of peritoneal transport.