The Journal of pharmacy and pharmacology
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J. Pharm. Pharmacol. · Apr 2002
Effect of unilateral nephrectomy on the pharmacokinetics of amikacin in humans.
As unilateral nephrectomy is not a rare surgical procedure, it gives rise to the question whether drugs predominantly eliminated through the urinary tract can be handled effectively by the remaining kidney. Amikacin is predominantly excreted via glomerular filtration with only a small fraction undergoing tubular reabsorption, and can be used as a model drug of glomerular elimination. The study was carried out in 28 subjects, 10 one month and 10 one year after unilateral nephrectomy, as well as in 8 healthy subjects. ⋯ CLT and CL(BW) were reduced by 53% (P < 0.001) and 42% (P < 0.01) 1 month after nephrectomy, and by 45% (P<0.001) and 42% (P<0.01) 1 year after the surgery, respectively. No significant differences among studied groups were found in C0 (initial serum drug concentration) and Vd (apparent volume of distribution). The results suggest that unilateral nephrectomy impairs elimination of amikacin, and possibly other drugs predominantly eliminated via glomerular filtration.