Two-hour urinary phenolsulphonphthalein excretion test - a simple test of glomerular function in renal failure

Urinary phenolsulphonphthalein excretion and endogenous creatinine clearance tests were performed in 17 Nigerian patients with established renal failure (serum creatinine 2mg). Fourteen subjects with normal renal function served as controls. Higher and statistically significant amount of the dye was excreted by the control subjects at 15; 30; 60 and 120 minutes post injection. There is a good correlation between the two tests in the patients but not explicable so in the controls. The simplicity of this method and its predictability of glomerular filtration rate without the need for a 24 hour urine collection recommends it for use in the routine management of renal patients in Nigeria