Mannitol osmolar clearance in diabetes insipidus of children.

A modified technique of amnnitol-induced diuresis is described, in order to assess renal concentrating ability in infants and children. The infusion of 10% mannitol in 0.9% saline avoided the hypertonic saline overload and the fluid restriction period, both badly tolerated by infants and small children. In a control group of children aged from two months to seven years, the values of T(H2O) plotted against C(OSM) allowed to calculate the adjustment curve y=0.80x0.75, r=0.98 (p is less than 0.0001). In six patients with pituitary diabetes insipidus (PDI), the test was used in order to quantify the degree of ADH deficiency and evaluate the carbamazepine and clofibrate effect, in the renal concentrating mechanism. The test was tolerated perfectly in every case, obtaining qualitative and quantitative data and avoiding the hyponatremia and hypokalemia produced by the mannitol.