Skip to main content
Log in

Dose-dependent half-life of glycine

  • Original Articles
  • Published:
Urological Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

The serum concentration of glycine was measured at hourly intervals after administration of between 10 and 91 g glycine to 17 patients undergoing transurethral resection of the prostate and of between 15 and 22 g glycine to 18 volunteers by intravenous infusion. The apparent half-life of glycine varied 10-fold (range 26–245 min) and increased in direct proportion to the amount of glycine given. This result can be explained by assuming a marked intracellular accumulation of a surplus of glycine. The dose-dependent half-life means that patients who absorb large amounts of irrigating fluid are exposed to excessive blood levels of glycine for a prolonged period of time.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Hahn RG (1988) Serum amino acid patterns and toxicity symptoms following the absorption of irrigant containing glycine in transurethral prostatic surgery. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 32:493

    Google Scholar 

  2. Hahn RG (1991) The transurethral resection syndrome. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 35:557

    Google Scholar 

  3. Hahn RG (1992) Amino acid concentrations in serum and urine after intravenous infusion of 1.5% glycine in prostatectomy patients. Prostate 21:173

    Google Scholar 

  4. Hahn RG, Berlin T, Lewenhaupt A (1988) Irrigating fluid absorption and blood loss during transurethral resection of the prostate studied by a regular interval monitoring (RIM) method. Scand J Urol Nephrol 22:23

    Google Scholar 

  5. Hahn R, Hjelmqvist H, Rundgren M (1989) Effects of isosmotic and hyperosmotic glycine solutions on the fluid balance in conscious sheep. Prostate 15:71

    Google Scholar 

  6. Hahn RG, Stalberg HP, Gustafsson SA (1989) Intravenous infusion of irrigating fluids containing glycine or mannitol with and without ethanol. J Urol 142:1102

    Google Scholar 

  7. Hahn R, Essén P, Wernerman J (1992) Amino acid concentrations in plasma and skeletal muscle after transurethral resection syndrome. Scand J Urol Nephrol 26:235

    Google Scholar 

  8. Hoekstra PT, Kahnoski R, McCamish MA, Bergen W, Heetderks DR (1983) Transurethral prostatic resection syndrome—a new perspective: encephalopathy with associated hyperammonaemia. J Urol 130:704

    Google Scholar 

  9. Hull CJ (1991) Pharmacokinetics for anaesthesia. Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, pp 1–51

    Google Scholar 

  10. Mizutani AR, Parker J, Katz J, Schmidt J (1990) Visual disturbances, serum glycine levels and transurethral resection of the prostate. J Urol 144:697

    Google Scholar 

  11. Norlén H, Allgén L-G, Vinnars E, Bedrelidou-Classon G (1986) Glycine solution as an irrigating agent during transurethral prostatic resection. Scand J Urol Nephrol 20:19

    Google Scholar 

  12. Ryder KW, Olson JF, Kahnoski R, Karn RC, Oei TO (1984) Hyperammonaemia after transurethral resection of the prostate: a report of 2 cases. J Urol 132:995

    Google Scholar 

  13. Stalberg HP, Hahn RG, Hjelmqvist H, Ullman J, Rundgren M (1993) Heamodynamics and fluid balance after intravenous infusion of 1.5% glycine in the sheep. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 37:282

    Google Scholar 

  14. Wang JM-L, Creel DJ, Wong KC (1989) Transurethral resection of the prostate, serum glycine levels, and ocular evoked potentials. Anesthesiology 70:36

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hahn, R.G. Dose-dependent half-life of glycine. Urol. Res. 21, 289–291 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00307714

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00307714

Key words

Navigation