Y. Shouno et al., SEGMENTAL GLOMERULAR NECROSIS AS AN ACTIVE INDEX OF IGA NEPHROPATHY -A STUDY WITH 100 SERIAL SECTIONS OF 128 CASES, Acta Pathologica Japonica, 43(12), 1993, pp. 723-729
One hundred serial sections from each of 128 cases with immunoglobulin
A (IgA) nephropathy were examined by light microscopy to clarify the
relationship between segmental glomerular necrosis (SGN) and progressi
on of glomerular injury. The cases were divided into five groups accor
ding to the percentage of glomeruli with cellular-fibrocellular (CIF)
crescents, fibrous adhesion and/or sclerosis: grade I, 0%; grade II, <
20%; grade III, 20-50%; grade IV, 50-80%; and grade V, 80% or more. T
he serial sections revealed unequivocally focal occurrence of SGN in 3
9 cases (30%). Segmental glomerular necrosis was never found in the ca
ses of grade I (0%, 0/28), while it appeared in those of grade II (33%
, 12/36), grade III (46%, 13/28), grade IV (48%, 13/27) and grade V (1
1%, 1/9). The incidence of the cases with C/F crescents showed a simil
ar tendency among the groups. In addition, focal C/F crescents were mo
re frequent in cases with SGN (82%) than in those without SGN (24%). I
n particular, cellular crescents in 26 cases were formed in close prox
imity to SGN. These results suggested that SGN in IgA nephropathy was
a more common finding than formerly evaluated and that it potentially
participated in the progression of glomerular injuries closely associa
ted with crescent formation. Unequivocally, focal occurrence of SGN co
rresponded well with the slowly progressive course of the glomerular d
isease.