Unilateral nephrectomy of the adult animal results in compensatory renal growth but does
not involve formation of new nephrons. It is not clear whether compensatory growth can
occur during the period of active nephrogenesis in utero and if so, whether more nephrons
can be formed. Male ovine fetuses (n= 20) underwent unilateral nephrectomy (n= 10) or
sham nephrectomy (n= 10) at 100 d of gestation (term, 150 d). After 27 to 34 d, ewes and
fetuses were killed and the right kidney of each fetus was removed and weighed. The wet …