Methods for the estimation of the renal function

The chronic kidney disease represents one of the pathologies with greater incidence and prevalence in the present sanitary systems. The ambulatory application of different methods that allow a suitable detection, monitoring and stratification of the renal functionalism is of crucial importance. On the basis of the vagueness obtained by means of the application of the serum creatinine, a set of predictive equations for the estimation of the glomerular filtration rate have been developed. Nevertheless, it is essential for the physician to know its limitations, in situations of normal renal function and hyperfiltration, certain associate pathologies and extreme situations of nutritional status and age. In these cases, the application of the isotopic techniques for the calculation of the renal function is more recommendable.