Glomerular and interstitial renal findings in patients with liver cirrhosis with normal renal function. The histomorphometric study.

Seventeen kidney autopsy tissue sections from patients with cirrhosis of the liver were quantitatively examined and compared with fifteen cases of normal controls. The study was limited only to cases with normal renal function and without macroscopic renal changes. Morphometric investigations were performed by means of a computer image analysis system. The study revealed that total glomerular area, total number of glomerular cells per total glomerular area, mesangium (percentage of total glomerular area), and number of sclerotic glomeruli (percentage of total glomeruli) were significantly increased in cirrhotic patients. There was no significant increase in relative interstitial volume and in total glomerular cell per unit of glomerular area in comparison with controls. The results indicate that, despite the lack of renal clinical and laboratory manifestation, cirrhosis of the liver can be accompanied by a variety of glomerular disorders. These abnormalities consist of an enlargement of the glomeruli, an increase in glomerular cellularity proportional to the increase in glomerular size, thickening in mesangial matrix, and increased glomerulo-sclerotic lesions.