Ultrastructural changes in renal Glomeruli of rats during experimentally induced hypertension and uremia

Internal vascular ultrastructural detail of renal microcirculation observed by a combination of latex injection/corrosion/scanning electron microscopy techniques can be correlated with structures visible in transmission electron micrographs. Glomeruli of normal and hypertensive rats have been examined using both techniques. In the casts, indentations occur which are comparable in size, shape and frequency to nuclei of endothelial cells; and other irregular indentations may be correlated with the occurrence of platelet thrombi and endothelial cell proliferation. From these observations we conclude that ultrastructurally accurate casts of blood may be visualized by scanning electron microscopy. Such visualization offers much promise for the study of microcirculatory structures in states of disease and altered function.