Search

The evaluation of estimated GFR (eGFR) is a pivotal staging step in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and renal ultrasound plays an important role in diagnosis, prognosis and progression of CKD. The interaction between histopathological diagnosis and ultrasound parameters in eGFR determination has not been fully investigated yet. The study examined the results of native kidney biopsies performed in 48 Italian centers between 2012 and 2020. The primary goal was if and how the histopathological diagnosis influences the relationship between ultrasound parameters and eGFR. After exclusion of children, patients with acute kidney injury and patients without measure of kidney length or parenchymal thickness, 2795 patients have been selected for analysis. The median values were 52 years for patient age, 11 cm for bipolar kidney diameter, 16 mm for parenchymal thickness, 2.5 g/day for proteinuria and 70 ml/min/1.73 m 2 for eGFR. The bipolar kidney diameter and the parenchymal thickness were directly related with eGFR values (R square 0.064). Diabetes and proteinuria were associated with a consistent reduction of eGFR, improving the adjusted R square up to 0.100. Addition of histopathological diagnosis in the model increased the adjusted R square to 0.216. There is a significant interaction between histopathological diagnosis and longitudinal kidney diameter (P 0.006). Renal bipolar length and parenchymal thickness are directly related with eGFR. The magnitude of proteinuria and histopathological kidney diagnosis are associated with eGFR. The relationship between kidney length and the level of eGFR depends on the nature of the kidney disease., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. The results presented in this paper have not been published previously in whole or part, except in abstract format. Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all the enrolled patients or their parents/legal guardians., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Circulating autoantibodies to phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R-Ab) are detected in >70% of patients with primary membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN). Detection of PLA2R antigen in renal tissue, with immunohistochemistry (PLA2R IHC), strongly correlates with serum PLA2R-Ab, although it is more sensitive. As PLA2R IHC in literature has no univocal interpretation, we suggest reliable criteria for a standard approach for the assessment of immunostaining for differential diagnosis between primary and secondary MGN. We analyzed PLA2R IHC expression in 40 biopsies of patients with MGN and serum PLA2R-Ab titer at the time of biopsy. We carefully evaluated, at high magnification, the immunostaining pattern and distribution, regardless of intensity, in capillary loops, mesangium, and podocytes of all glomeruli.We defined, adopting this approach, positive stain when a granular pattern, coarse and/or fine, diffuse or focal, and global or segmental were observed. Negative stain was defined by mesangial staining, when there was a dirty pattern, or a peripheral staining of capillary loops with a smoky linear pattern. Podocytes showed homogenous cytoplasmatic stain both in positive and negative cases and in external negative controls. We found PLA2R IHC and serum PLA2R-Ab positivity in early-middle stage MGN compared with advanced stage more frequently. Correct stratification of patients with MGN needs PLA2R-Ab detection in serum and renal tissue. PLA2R IHC test, although a challenging stain, can be an easy diagnostic tool but requires reliable interpretation keys for a standard approach to the assessment of immunostaining., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)