Clinical evaluation of the urinary sediment after renal allotransplantation

Identification of renal tubular epithelial cells in urine with immunofluorescence

Rabbits were immunized with human kidney homogenate. The rabbit sera, after absorption with human liver homogenate, showed antibody activity against human kidney, renal pelvis and urinary bladder. The sera were then absorbed with human renal pelvis and urinary bladder mucosa and subsequently showed no antibody activity against urinary bladder or renal pelvis. Immunofluorescence examinations showed fluorescing cells in kidney tubules, but not elsewhere. The finally absorbed antihuman kidney sera were used for indirect immunofluorescence examination of urinary sediments from patients with renal disease. Phase contrast microscopy was used simultaneously. Fluorescence was found in cells which in phase contrast microscopy were judged to be renal tubular cells. Fluorescing cells were often found in casts, but free cells were also seen. Immunofluorescence may thus provide a means of identifying renal tubular cells in urine.

Urinary cytology and the early detection of renal allograft rejection

The appearance of pyroninophilic immunologically activated lymphocytes in the urine may be one of the earliest indications of acute rejection of a renal allograft. In a study of 50 allograft recipients there were 33 episodes of rejection within 1 month postoperatively. The presence of activated lymphocytes in the urine correlated with a clinical and biochemical diagnosis of rejection in 29 cases (88 per cent). In 20 cases (69 per cent) the activated lymphocytes were present at least 24 hours (median 2 days) before rejection was diagnosed by other means. In 2 patients (4 per cent) activated lymphocytes appeared in the urine without evidence of rejection, while 4 of 33 patients had rejection diagnosed and treated in the absence of lymphocyturia, for a false negative rate of 12 per cent. The 33 rejection episodes were treated by prednisolone and azathioprine. In 19 cases suppression of rejection correlated with the disappearance of pyroninophilic lymphocytes within 5 days, while in 10 persistent rejection was accompanied by persistent lymphocyturia. The presence of activated lymphocytes in the urine is a valuable early index of impending rejection in the transplanted kidney, and may be used with other clinical and biochemical criteria to detect the need for increased immunosuppression.

Necrotizing systemic vasculitis with features of both Wegener's granulomatosis and Churg-Strauss vasculitis

We describe a patient who had nasal biopsy-demonstrated eosinophilic vasculitis and renal biopsy-demonstrated necrotizing glomerulonephritis with tissue eosinophilia. Despite corticosteroid therapy, the patient's renal function deteriorated, and nodular pulmonary infiltrates developed. Both conditions responded dramatically when cyclophosphamide was added to the treatment regimen. The renal disease activity was monitored with the aid of cytodiagnostic urinalysis, a technique of limited, albeit well-established, validity in monitoring renal allograft patients for signs of tissue rejection. This technique provided an improved, semi-quantitative method for examining urine sediment and, in this patient, was helpful as a measure of renal disease activity.

Differential diagnosis of acute allograft rejection and CMV-infection in renal transplantation by urinary cytology

Acute allograft rejection and CMV-infection are the most common complications after renal transplantation. Quick differential diagnosis between these two complications is still difficult but necessary, since both complications demand a different therapy. More than 2500 urinary samples from 33 transplanted patients were prospectively examined and part of them evaluated quantitatively. Urinary samples of patients with acute renal failure, long-term haemodialysis or immunosuppressive therapy served as controls. The following cytomorphological criteria proved to be useful: Tubular epithelial cells, casts, oxalate crystals (sand-glass shaped), dirty background, increasing erythrocyturia, mixed cell clusters, lymphocytes and mitoses. Rejection is going on when the number of renal tubular cells is increased and two or more further criteria are positive. 25 acute allograft rejections without acute renal failure were diagnosed clinically. All 25 rejections were also diagnosed by urinary cytology. Nevertheless, it is not possible to differentiate between acute allograft rejection and acute renal failure of other origin. CMV-infection was serologically detected in 7 patients. In 6 of them viral infected cells were found in the urine shortly after the onset of unspecific clinical symptoms. Besides the typical "owl-eye" cells milkglass nuclei, sometimes with eosinophilic condensation, were seen while criteria for transplant rejection were never observed at the same time. Cytologic examination of voided urine is a simple diagnostic help for the differentiation between allograft rejection and CMV-infection after renal transplantation.

Status of renal transplantation. A clinical perspective

Although the survival of patients on chronic dialysis has improved in recent years, the quality and status of rehabilitation remains poor. Renal transplantation must be used to complement chronic dialysis in the management of these patients. Physicians should not be biased and commit their patients to one or the other form of long-term treatment.

Early prediction of acute homograft rejection: urinary assay for polyribosomal-rich lymphocytes

Urinary cytology from 29 pediatric renal homograft recipients was evaluated for the presence of polyribosomal-rich (pyroninophilic) lymphocytes during an 8-month period. Seven episodes of acute (cell-mediated) rejection occurred in 21 cadaveric renal recipients. No episodes of rejection occurred during this period in the living-related recipients. Each episode of rejection was associated with significant polyribosomal-rich lymphocyturia 5 to 11 days before the onset of clinical rejection as diagnosed by conventional methodology. In addition, significant lymphocyturia occurred 1 to 3 days before and simultaneous with a sustained elevation in serum creatine. Falsely positive assays demonstrating occasional to 1 plus (less than 10 per cent) ribosomal-rich lymphocyturia occurred in 10 of 29 patients. None of these falsely positive-reacting patients demonstrated acute rejection. In our experience the urinary assay for polyribosomal-rich lymphocytes proved to be an early indicator of acute rejection. It is hoped that by early institution of antirejection therapy based on this parameter homograft rejection may be aborted or its severity diminished.

Differential count of urinary leucocytes and renal epithelial cells by phase contrast microscopy

A total of 291 urine sediments from 255 patients with various renal or urinary tract diseases have been studied by phase contrast microscopy. Based upon morphological criteria, leucocytes were distinguished from renal epithelial cells and the white blood cells were classified either as mononuclear or polynuclear in 179 patients. The percentage of the different cell types varied considerably between and within the different diseases. The median values for polynuclear granulocytes were higher than 90% in bacterial renal or urinary tract disease and in polycystic kidney disease. In interstitial nephritis, nephrosclerosis and in renal transplanted patients the percentage of polynuclear granulocytes was somewhat lower, 76-85%. In diabetes, amyloidosis, tubular nephrosis (necrosis) glomerulonephritis, lupus nephritis and endemic benign nephropathy there were 14-66% polynuclear granulocytes. 29-33% mononuclear leucocytes were found in lupus nephritis and endemic benign nephropathy. The greatest proportion of renal epithelial cells was found in endemic benign nephropathy, namely 49%. 36% renal epithelial cells were found in tubular nephrosis (necrosis) and in glomerulonephritis. The technique is rapid and inexpensive. It facilitates differential diagnostics of urinary tract disease with pyuria.