Lupus vasculopathy combined with renal infarction: unusual manifestation of lupus nephritis.

A 30-year-old woman with a 10-year history of systemic lupus erythematosus was admitted to our hospital because of the onset of hypertension and renal dysfunction. Renal arteriogram revealed multiple renal infarctions, and cut-off or tapering-stenosis in the interlobular arteries. Renal biopsy showed concentric intimal thickening with narrowed lumen in some arterioles and deposition of IgG/IgM/complement 3 in the wall of arteriole without any active lesions or immune complex deposition in glomeruli. The present case indicates that this type of renal vascular lesion in lupus nephritis, lupus vasculopathy, may cause renal infarction and the loss of renal function without active glomerular lesions.