Eleven patients with obstructive uropathy were inserted with a pigtail catheter either for urinary diversion, endopyelotomy or percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Differential kidney functions were obtained by single-sample technique with I-131 orthoiodohippurate (OIH) and separate endogenous creatinine clearance (Ccr). Good linear correlation was noted between effective renal plasma flow (ERPF) and Ccr (r = 0.84, p less than 0.005), but there was still some discrepancy between these two examinations, chiefly found in two severely obstructed kidneys. Determination of ERPF by I-131-OIH single-sample technique is a simple, rapid, inexpensive and relative accurate test to measure the differential kidney function. But if the ERPF is at extremely low level, further investigations such as sonography of kidney and separate endogenous creatinine clearance should be done to avoid unnecessary nephrectomy.