Are there other ways to estimate or determine the Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) of my kidneys?
Yes. The GFR can be estimated using the result of a blood creatinine test and a calculation. (See the article on eGFR). Collection of a 24-hour urine specimen can be prone to errors. A reasonable estimate of actual GFR can be calculated based on serum creatinine, a common test that is easily performed. Also, there are other, more involved tests that have higher accuracy than a creatinine clearance. However, these involve injecting the patient with a tracer and are more expensive. For most clinical purposes, the accuracy of creatinine clearance is sufficient.
