Abstract
Children born with very low birth weight have a decreased nephron number. Low nephron mass is associated with adult hypertension, proteinuria, and diabetes mellitus. The histomorphometry and radial glomerular count (RGC) of a total nephrectomy from a child with renal disease associated with extreme prematurity was compared with the kidney from a full-term age-matched child of normal gestation with chronic renal failure due to focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and to a child without renal disease. Bowman’s space area, mesangium and mesangial tuft area were determined in 50 glomeruli of each specimen by computer-assisted morphometry. RGC was 4 in the ex-preterm child, 8 in the patient with FSGS, and 9 in normal control. The patient with FSGS had larger glomerular area expressed as square micrometers (μm2) of Bowman’s capsule, the mesangium and the mesangial tuft area measurements than the normal control and the child born preterm who subsequently developed renal failure had significantly larger Bowman’s capsule and mesangium than the two controls. This case report begins to identify important pathologic findings of decreased nephron numbers and glomerulomegaly associated with preterm birth.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ingelfinger JR (2003) Is microanatomy destiny? N Engl J Med 348:99–100
Keller G, Zimmer G, Mall G, Ritz E, Amann K (2003) Nephron number in patients with primary hypertension N Engl J Med 348:101–108
Mañalich R, Reyes L, Herrera M, Melendi C, Fundora I (2000) Relationship between weight at birth and the number and size of renal glomeruli in humans: a histomorphometric study. Kidney Int 58:770–773
Hughson M, Farris AB, Douglas-Denton R, Hoy WE, Bertram JF (2003) Glomerular number and size in autopsy kidneys: The relationship to birth weight. Kidney Int 63(6):2113–2122
Bernstein J, Risdon RA, Gilbert-Barness E (1996) Renal system. In: Gilbert-Barness E (ed) Potter’s pathology of the fetus and infant. Mosby, St Louis, pp 863–922
Abitbol CL, Bauer CR, Montane B, Chandar JJ, Duara S, Zilleruelo G (2003) Long-term follow-up of extremely premature infants with neonatal renal failure. Pediatr Nephrol 18(9):887–893
Hinchliffe SA, Sargent PH, Chan YF, van Velzen D, Howard CV, Hutton JL, Rushton DI (1992) “Medullary ray glomerular counting” as a method of assessment of human nephrogenesis. Pathol Res Pract 188(6):775–782
Motulsky H (1995) Intuitive biostatistics. Oxford University Press, New York pp 207–262
Rostand SG (2003) Oligonephronia, primary hypertension and renal disease: ‘Is the child father to the man?’ Nephrol Dial Transplant 18:1434–1438
Rodriguez MM, Gómez AH, Abitbol CL, Chandar JJ, Duara S, Zilleruelo GE (2004) Histomorphometric analysis of postnatal glomerulogenesis in extremely preterm infants. Pediatr Dev Pathol 7(1):17–25
Drukker A, Guignard JP (2002) Renal aspects of the term and preterm infant: a selective update. Curr Opin Pediatr 14:175–182
Acknowledgements
This work was supported in part by a grant from Children’s Medical Services under Florida’s Department of Health
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rodriguez, M.M., Gomez, A., Abitbol, C. et al. Comparative renal histomorphometry: a case study of oligonephropathy of prematurity. Pediatr Nephrol 20, 945–949 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-004-1800-x
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-004-1800-x