title: Study of nephrotic syndrome in children: importance of light, immunoflourescence and electron microscopic observations to a correct classification of glomerulopathies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the contribution of electron microscopy (EM) to the accurate diagnosis of glomerulopathies in childhood nephrotic syndrome (NS) in a developing country.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was carried out at the Histopathology Department, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) from April 2007 to March 2008. All children (≤18 years) presenting with NS were included. Patients' demographic, clinical, laboratory, and biopsy data were retrieved from case records and biopsy reports. Renal biopsies were studied by light microscopy, immunoflourescence, and EM.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of 74 children was 11.34, 4.85 years, EM was useful in 97.2% of cases, being essential in 31% and helpful in 66.2% cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results demonstrate that the ultrastructural study is both helpful and essential to a correct classification of glomerular diseases underlying NS in children in nearly all cases and whenever feasible this should be used in the pathologic evaluation of renal biopsies.
authors.affiliation: Histopathology Department. Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. drmubaraksiut@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Muhammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mubarak
authors.forename: Javed
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kazi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D015433:Glomerulonephritis, Membranous / Q000145:classification* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008853:Microscopy; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009404:Nephrotic Syndrome / Q000145:classification* / Q000473:pathology*