Previous studies have shown the utility of urinary sediment (U-sed) examination among patients with glomerular diseases (GDs). Matteo Abinti, MD, and colleagues recently conducted a prospective study to test the hypothesis that, with a standardized approach for U-sed preparation, it would be possible to distinguish proliferative GD (PGD) from nonproliferative GD (NPGD) and use renal biopsy to predict GD with a high activity score.
The researchers analyzed U-sed data from 285 patients with 12 different biopsy-proven GDs. Of those, 172 had PGD, and 113 had NPGD. All renal biopsies were scored for the presence or absence of active and chronic histologic lesions. The researchers evaluated the frequency and number of red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs), renal tubular epithelial cells (RTECs), and eight types of…