Renal pelvic pressures in human chronic obstructive uropathy.

Resting renal pelvic pressure and premicturition bladder pressure have been measured by direct percutaneous puncture in 12 male patients with established chronic obstructive uropathy related to high pressure chronic retention. In 10 technically satisfactory cases the subtracted renal pelvic pressure was less than the intrinsic bladder pressure, showing that upper tract dilatation and diminished renal function in these patients were not due to direct extension of high resting bladder pressure into the upper tract. The mean resting upper tract pressure in chronic human obstructive uropathy was 10.7 cm of water.