Glomerulonephritis in dogs with neoplasmatic disease - morphometric studies

The study examined the kidneys of 39 dogs with neoplasmatic disease. 36 of the cases had malignant tumors and 3 cases had benign tumors. All of them displayed different types of glomerulonephritis with varying degrees of intensity and had deposits of immunoglobulins (IgG and IgM or IgA) in the glomerular tufts. The aim of the research was to evaluate the efficacy of morphometric studies in glomerulonephritis in cases of neoplasmatic disease. The following measurements were taken: the mean number of cells in the renal glomerulus and their mean and absolute value; the mean area of the glomerulus and the absolute relative mean area of the mesangium and immunoglobulins in the renal glomerules; the relative mean area of interstitial tissue in the renal cortex. The number and density of cells in the renal glomerulus and their mean value were the highest in the proliferative glomerulonephritis. The absolute mean value of the glomerulus and relative mean area of the mesangium were the lowest in membranous glomerulonephritis. The tendency for immunoglobulin deposits was greater in cases of malignant epithelial tumors than in those of mesenchymal. The mean value of interstitial tissue in the renal cortex was the highest in membranous glomerulonephritis. The results of the morphometric studies confirm the value of diagnosing different types of glomerulonephritis obtained by using traditional methods and this is consistent with literature dealing with universal glomerulonephritis diagnosis. There is, however, no literature containing details about the same type of studies during the course of neoplasmatic disease. The study confirmed that morphometric evaluation may be useful in the ultimately diagnosing glomerulonephritis, especially in borderline cases and in evaluating material taken from biopsies.