|
Medical Definition of Phthalein test
1. An obsolete test for renal function; after the patient has drunk a glass or two of water, 1 ml of a 0.6% solution of dye is injected hypodermically; the time between this injection and the appearance of a pink tinge in the urine as it falls into an alkaline solution is noted; the amount excreted in each of the next 2 hours is then estimated colourimetrically. Synonym: Geraghty's test, phthalein test, red test, Rowntree and Geraghty test. (05 Mar 2000)