Biofiltration, a new method of short hemodiafiltration: preliminary report.

Four patients previously treated by traditional dialysis (HD, 240 min) were switched to biofiltration (BF, 180-210 min) and followed for twelve months. Before and at the end of this period, clinical and biochemical data were assessed for each patient. Patients treated for 180 min by BF presented no increase in BUN but a significant increase of predialytic phosphorus. The 210 min BF schedule achieved the same pattern of depuration as HD. Acidosis was corrected better in all patients during BF. No hypoxemia and no change of WBC count were observed during BF. Cardiac function, assessed by echocardiography, improved similarly with each session of both methods. BF is a useful alternative treatment procedure for patients with endstage renal failure.

Hemodiafiltration (HD-HF): one year follow-up of nine hours weekly.

Data are presented concerning our experience with hemodiafiltration (HD-HF) in uremic patients. Ten patients previously submitted to regular dialysis treatment, cuprophane membrane (RDT), for the last year twelve hours weekly, were treated for one year, nine hours weekly, HD-HF. Five of ten had suffered discomfort by RDT and five spontaneously chose HD-HF owing to its shorter treatment period. The follow-up of the two treatment schedules did not show any significant difference in absolute and percentage values of small molecules. Hematocrit, body weight and blood arterial pressure were not different following both treatment. Patients submitted to HD-HF complained of no discomfort including patients suffering of dialytic discomfort under RDT. HD-HF has proved as useful and more comfortable than RDT in long-term treatment of patients with chronic renal failure.

[Ultrasonography in the diagnosis of acute obstructive renal insufficiency: a cautionary note]. / Ultrasonografia nella diagnosi di insufficienza renale acuta ostruttiva: una nota cautelativa.

Ultrasonography (US) has recently been considered in nephrology as the imaging method of choice in the differential diagnosis of acute renal failure (ARF). A dilated renal collecting system is the hallmark of obstructive nephropathy (ON). We report 4 cases of ARF due to ON in which US detected no dilatation of collecting system. Similar data were obtained by computer tomography (TC). The normal size and structure of the kidneys and the clinical suspicion prompted us to perform retrograde pyelography which revealed ON. Ureteral catheterization determined a marked improvement of renal function in all the patients (pts). 2 pts were one kidney, 3 pts had renal stones, in 2 pts dehydration and sepsis were present. We conclude that ON has not ever been excluded on the criterion of absence of dilated urinary tract from US and TC.