Influence of acute hypophysectomy on the natriuresis of dogs submitted to expansion of the extracellular fluid volume.

Three days after creating an access to the turcica on the sphenoid bone, twelve anesthetized mongrel dogs, after control collections, were submitted to extracellular volume expansion with saline. Thereafter, maintained constant the rate of saline infusion, the dura-mater covering the pituitary gland was incised in all dogs, the hypohysis being removed in seven and remaining untouched in the other five dogs. Pharmacological doses of pitressin, glycocorticoids and mineralocorticoids were administered to all dogs. It was shown, for the same filtered sodium load(p is greater than 0.05), that hypophysectomy produces a significant reduction (p is less than 0.05) in urinary sodium excretion previously elevated by the extracellular volume expansion, while durostomy only, without removal of th hypophysis, did not change (p is greater than 0.05) the rate of sodium excretion. Thus, the pituitary gland could be considered as contributing to natriuresis during extracellular volume expansion, all other factors related to this expansion remaining constant in both, hypophysectomized and sham operated dogs.