The importance of the abdominal viscera to peritoneal transport during peritoneal dialysis in the dog.

The authors sought to evaluate the dialyzing surfaces important for peritoneal dialysis. They reasoned that the most definitive way to evaluate whether any of the gut and associated membranes contributed to transport was to see if transport changed when they were removed. Paired studies measuring rates of peritoneal uptake of glucose, urea, and inulin were carried out in dogs. In the morning, the animals were tested with all peritoneal membranes intact. In the afternoon, the studies were repeated after evisceration. The mass transfer coefficients (MTC ml/min)--glucose (viscera 4.4 +/- 0.7, no viscera 4.9 +/- 0.3)--urea (viscera 16.8 +/- 2.4, no viscera 13.8 +/- 1.0);--inulin (viscera 1.6 +/- 0.6, no viscera 2.2 +/- 0.7) were not changed nor was the amount of mass absorbed significantly different. MTC and peritoneal absorption were unaffected by omentectomy, mesenterectomy, or evisceration. Whether these results were due to nonparticipation of these structures in peritoneal transport or other mechanisms await further studies.