Renal Microperfusion Techniques

The advent of the technique of the isolated perfused tubule allowed renal physiologists to examine the transport characteristics of all portions of the nephron for the first time. The understanding of renal function prior to the advent of in vitro microperfusion rested on the integrative understanding drawn from clearance techniques and renal micropuncture experiments. Historically, clearance techniques were one of the first physiological tests of renal function. These studies were complemented and extended by the pioneering work of Richards, who developed the technique of micropuncture between 1925 and 1937, although the first reports of this technique in the mammalian nephron occurred later.