Renal Denervation. II. Vascular Changes Induced in the Intact and Denervated Kidney by Rattle Snake Venom. ∗

In a recent report 1 we described a method of antimortem injection to demonstrate in detail the renal vascular bed by roentgenograms and demonstrated the changes seen when the method was applied to the denervated kidney. We will now show the effect of rattle snake venom on the normal and denervated kidneys as demonstrated by the same means. Noguchi 2 described rattle snake venom as a vascular poison resulting pathologically in vascular paralysis and capillary hemorrhages into the tissues. Anuria is a frequent clinical symptom.

We used young dogs throughout. The technique already described 1 was employed in denervating one kidney. After periods exceeding 2 weeks rattle snake venom was injected intravenously. It was found that the minimum lethal dose was above 0.5 of the dry venom per kilo body weight. The kidneys were injected with bismuth oxychloride at intervals up to 48 hours after the administration of the snake venom. The resulting effect varied in degree depending on the dose and the interval elapsing between the injection of the venom and sacrificing of the animal. From the standpoint of the x-ray findings there was profound vascular damage as indicated by beading of the vessels and obliteration of a large portion of the vascular bed varying in degree with the size of the dose. The effect was uniformly more profound in the denervated kidney.

Microscopically the kidney tissue displayed congestion of the capillary tufts, dilatation of the interstitial blood spaces and in a few instances extravasation of blood. Varying degrees of tubular degeneration were noted. The changes seen in the histological section were patchy in distribution with intervening areas of relatively normal tissue. More or less marked endothelial swelling of the arterioles was common.