Table 2 Electron microscopy features of dense deposit disease

From: Dense deposit disease is not a membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis

Pattern

n

Glomerular basement membranes

Mesangial

Subendothelial (%)

Subepithelial/mesangial humps (%)

Bowman's capsule basement membranes

Tubular basement membranes

Membranoproliferative

17

24a

18b

6

6c

5/12

4/13

Mesangial proliferative

30

18

13

37d

43

4/23

4/24

Crescentic

12

25

16

8

42

2/3

2/3

Acute proliferative and exudative

8

22

16

12

25

2/6

1/6

  1. Unclassified dense deposit disease had only two cases and was not used for further analysis.
  2. Data expressed as mean semiquantitative score (graded 0–3) × 100 (glomerular basement membrane and mesangial) or present in % of cases (subendothelial and subepithelial/mesangial humps) or present in number of cases/total cases with material available for examination (Bowman's capsule basement membranes and tubular basement membranes).
  3. Glomerular basement membranes, linear very electron dense transformation along the glomerular basement membranes; mesangial, very electron dense transformation within the mesangium; subendothelial, very electron dense transformation in the subendothelial area; subepithelial/mesangial humps, very electron dense, large, hump-like deposits in the subepithelial area or in the mesangial ‘waist’ region; Bowman's capsule basement membranes, very electron dense transformation of Bowman's capsule basement membranes; tubular basement membranes, very electron dense transformation of the tubular basement membranes.
  4. aGlomerular basement membranes—membranoproliferative vs mesangial proliferative, P<0.05.
  5. bMesangial—membranoproliferative vs mesangial proliferative, P<0.01.
  6. cSubepithelial/mesangial humps—membranoproliferative vs mesangial proliferative or crescentic or acute proliferative and exudative, P<0.05.
  7. dSubendothelial—mesangial proliferative vs membranoproliferative or crescentic or acute proliferative and exudative, P<0.05.
  8. All other comparisons, no significant differences.
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