Renal pelvic pacemaker control of ureteral peristaltic rate.

CONSTANTINOU, c. E. Renal pelvic pacemaker control of ureteral peristaltic rate. Am. J. Physiol. 226(6): 1413-1419. l974.-To gain insight into the mechanism responsible for the generation of ureteral peristalsis, a canine experimental model was constructed using manometric methods in the evaluation of the fundamental renal pelvic rhythm and the electrophysiological methods for the characterization of ureteral peristalsis. The ultimate aim of this study is to introduce experimental evidence to the phenomenological existence of a renal pelvic pacemaker responsible for urine transport in the upper urinary tract. The fundamental frequency of the renal pelvis was compared to that of the ureter and also with respect to the phase and frequency of the respiratory rhythm. The results of this study generally indicate that the characteristics of ureteral peristalic contraction rate are frequency divisions of the fundamental renal pelvic pacemaker and are independent of urine flow and respiration. It is also indicated that with increasing urine flow rate the peristaltic rate reaches that of the pacemaker frequency. Any further increases in urine production are accommodated by bclus volume increase.