title: Anencephalic fetuses can be an alternative for kidney transplantation: a stereological and histological investigation.
abstract: In the study, stereological, histological, and anatomical techniques were used to investigate structural and morphometrical features of anencephalic and normal fetal kidneys. Twenty human fetal kidneys (5 male and 5 female anencephalic fetuses, and 5 male and 5 female normal fetuses) at gestational ages 30 to 35 weeks were examined. Our study used two basic research methods. One was conventional anatomical measurement at the macroscopic level, such as volume, length, weight, etc. The other consisted of conventional and modern microscopic techniques. The microscopic techniques were based on two research methods: histopathological examination at light microscopic level and stereological estimations, including mean kidney volumes, obtained by the Cavalieri method, and the total number and mean height of the glomeruli via the physical dissector method. There was no statistical difference between the two groups in terms of width, height, weight, and fluid replacement volumes. Microscopic quantitative assessment found no statistical differences either, in terms of the kidney volumes and the number and height of the glomeruli. Our findings suggest that kidneys from anencephalic infants may be a suitable alternative for renal transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kalaycioğlu
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karaca
authors.forename: Ismail
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Can
authors.forename: Osman Nuri
authors.initials: ON
authors.lastname: Keleş
authors.forename: Yilmaz
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Uçüncü
authors.forename: Cemal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gündogdu
authors.forename: Abdullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Uyanik
authors.forename: Bünyami
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Unal
mesh_terms: D000757:Anencephaly / Q000196:embryology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000196:embryology* / Q000473:pathology; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000196:embryology* / Q000473:pathology; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000196:embryology / Q000473:pathology; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D014019:Tissue Donors