Mucinous vacuolar change of porcine urothelium induced by regional embolism or cryoablation

Porcine urinary tract epithelium responds to systemic infections with an in crease in mucin secretion that has been called "mucinous degeneration" Here we describe similar changes in calyceal, pelvic, and ureteric urothelium i n pig renal tracts 14 days after local embolism and cryoablation (four kidn eys) or cryoablation alone (six kidneys). Large mucin-filled vacuoles surro unded by smaller cytoplasmic vesicles were present in the affected urotheli um but were rare in calyceal urothelium of normal kidneys. These mucinous v acuolar changes were proportional to the extent of renal necrosis and could be important in the pathologic responses of xenotransplanted pig kidneys.