ULTRASTRUCTURE IN GLOMERULONEPHRITIS ASSOCIATED WITH CRYOGLOBULINEMIA - REPORT OF 6 CASES AND REVIEW OF LITERATURE

  • 1 January 1977
    • journal article
    • review article
    • Vol. 88  (1) , 145-+
Abstract
Renal tissue from 6 patients with glomerulonephritis associated with cryoglobulinemia was studied by light microscopy, immunofluorescence microscopy, and EM. Fibrillar deposits in glomerular capillaries were observed in electron micrographs in 4 of 6 patients. The ultrastructure of these deposits is compared with those in 6 previously reported cases, with the ultrastructure of the serum cryoprecipitates, and with fibrillar glomerular deposits in other glomerulonephritides. Serum cryoprecipitates are structurally similar to glomerular deposits and these fibrillar deposits are apparently a frequent and possibly distinguishing morphologic feature of glomerulonephritis associated with cryoglobulinemia.