Twenty‐one renal biopsy specimens obtained from 10 patients with dense deposit disease (DDD) were investigated using light microscopy, electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry. The patients included four females and six males aged 6 to 35 years (mean 16.1 years). A morphological diagnosis of DDD was made following the ultrastructural detection of continuous intramembranous dense deposits (CIMDD) in some capillary loops of at least one of the series of the repeated biopsies from each patient. With light microscopy, six patients showed membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN). The other four patients showed diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis (DPGN) with acute lesions showing intraglomerular neutrophilic infiltration, hump formation and endothelial swelling in three and minor glomerular abnormalities in one. Follow‐up biopsies were obtained in six patients. Two patients progressed from DPGN to MPGN within 7 months, whereas three patients with MPGN showed morphologic improvement that featured increased capillary patency and regional disappearance of dense deposits along with the reduction of proteinuria. Dense deposit disease did not always feature typical amorphous and osmiophilic CIMDD spreading across the whole width of the lamina densa. This classical ultrastructural manifestation was mainly found in the patients with histologic non‐MPGN and a linear peripheral pattern of complement component (C3) deposition. The MPGN patients with a granular peripheral pattern of C3 deposition also had CIMDD, but also additionally featured less dense subepithelial deposits superimposed on the CIMDD to produce an appearance simulating membranous transformation. Humplike epimembranous massive dense deposits were also identified in connection with the deposition of immunoglobulin G (IgG), suggesting that immune complex deposition at the glomerular basement membrane occurs in some cases of DDD. Immunoglobulin M (IgM) or complement component 1q (C1q) deposition was often associated with intraglomerular neutrophilic infiltration and endothelial swelling as well as with ultrastructural subendothelial edema. Continuous dense deposits were found not only in the lamina densa but also just beneath the subendothelium in four patients. Thus, the present investigation demonstrated the morphologic variety of DDD in a correlative study of light microscopy, electron microscopy and immunohlstochemistry.
Injection of India ink and clipping are relatively well-known methods for marking lesions of the gastrointestinal tract. The use of metal clips provides a radiologically recognizable mark, which is also palpable at surgery. In addition, clips can be extremely useful as landmarks in comparing endoscopic findings with the resected specimen. Previous reports of clip-marking have concentrated on the Olympus (Tokyo, Japan) HX-2L clip, but this clip has the disadvantages of having too wide a diameter to be used through most conventional endoscopes and also a relatively low clip-retention rate, as the depth of its bite is limited. Recently, Olympus has marketed a new clip (HX-3L) designed by the author for hemostasis in cases of gastrointestinal bleeding. This new clip is an improved version of the cassette-type J-clip that was previously reported by the author in this journal. The prime advantage of the HX-3L is that the endoscopist can use it via a panendoscope without any assistance. In addition, it has an excellent bite and a very high level of safety. In terms of function and application, it is completely different from the HX-2L. In addition, the tip (the portion that actually grasps tissue) of the HX-3L is longer and thinner than the HX-2L, thus permitting a firm grasp of the muscularis mucosae layer even when approaching from an upper oblique angle and this, in turn, improves the performance of the clip as a marker.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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