HAEMODYNAMIC STUDIES IN MAN BEFORE AND AFTER HYPOPHYSECTOMY
ABSTRACT Determinations of cardiac output and oxygen consumption simultaneously with measurements of glomerular filtration rate and renal plasma flow were performed before and after hypophysectomy in two cases of acromegaly, two cases of metastatic mammary carcinoma, one case of diabetes mellitus and in one case of chromophobe adenoma. After hypophysectomy evidence of adrenocortical insufficiency was present in all but one subject and these patients were on substitution therapy with cortisone (17,21-dihydroxy-pregn-4-ene 3,11,20-trione) at the time of the postoperative studies. In two patients at least, postoperative hypothyroidism could not be demonstrated. In all cases, however, hypophysectomy was followed by a marked and roughly parallel reduction in cardiac output and oxygen consumption. A substantial decrease in glomerular filtration rate, renal plasma flow and renal blood flow following hypophysectomy was also found while no or only slight changes in mean brachial arterial blood pressure were observed. The changes in renal function did not always parallel the reduction in cardiac output.