title: 50 years follow-up on plasma creatinine levels after spinal cord injury.
abstract: METHODS
  Retrospective chart review.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the role of plasma creatinine (p-creatinine) in monitoring renal deterioration in patients up to 50 years after spinal cord injury (SCI).
  
  
  METHODS
  The Clinic for Spinal Cord Injuries, Rigshospitalet, Denmark.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 119 patients with a traumatic SCI during the years 1944-1975 were included in the study. P-creatinine measurements, results from renography and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) measured with 51Cr-EDTA clearance were obtained from medical records and analyzed using a linear mixed model and linear regression analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  When compared with median p-creatinine level in the first 5-year period after injury, the level of p-creatinine was stable throughout the first 30 years and decreased significantly after the 30th until 45th year post injury. Only patients with a functional distribution outside the 30-70% limits on renography or a relative GFR < or =51% of that expected had a significantly elevated level of p-creatinine. Significance was not found for patients with a distribution outside the 40-60% limits on renography or relative GFR < or =75%. By comparing Cr-EDTA clearance and p-creatinine in terms of exceeding the upper reference level, p-creatinine revealed 17% sensitivity, 100% specificity, 100% positive predictive value and 73% negative predictive value as a diagnostic test for renal deterioration defined as GFR < or =75%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  P-creatinine decreases over time in patients with SCI with a level below the upper reference limit and is a poor detector of early renal deterioration in patients with SCI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Physiology, Nuclear Medicine and PET, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elmelund
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Physiology, Nuclear Medicine and PET, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Oturai
authors.affiliation: 1] Centre for Spinal Cord Injured, Rigshospitalet and Glostrup Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark [2] Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Biering-Sørensen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002860:Chromium Radioisotopes; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood*; D004492:Edetic Acid; D005260:Female; D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011866:Radioisotope Renography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D002860:Chromium Radioisotopes; D004492:Edetic Acid; D003404:Creatinine