Kidney - Nephropathy, Obstructive



comment:
Obstructive nephropathy may result from inflammation associated with deposition of crystals, retrograde nephropathy, or a lower urinary tract outflow blockage. Whatever the cause, similar morphologic changes can be observed. Retrograde (reflux) nephropathy, a form of obstructive nephropathy, is related to a backflow phenomenon characterized by small clusters of dilated tubules that ascend from the papilla to the cortex and are due to increased urine reflux resulting from changes in the lower urinary tract ( Figure 1



recommendation:
Obstructive nephropathy should be diagnosed and given a severity grade. Associated lesions such as inflammation and fibrosis should be recorded separately only if they are very prominent features. Whenever obstructive nephropathy is observed, the lower urinary tract should be examined for the cause. Obstructive nephropathy secondary to a neoplasm should not be diagnosed separately but should be described in the pathology narrative.references:
Frazier KS, Seely JC, Hard GC, Betton G, Burnett R, Nakatsuji S, Nishikawa A, Durchfeld-Meyer B, Bube A. 2012. Proliferative and non-proliferative lesions in the rat and mouse urinary system. Toxicol Pathol 40:14S-86S. Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22637735
Hard GC, Flake GP, Sills RC. 2009. Re-evaluation of kidney histopathology from 13-week toxicology and two-year carcinogenicity studies of melamine in the F344 rat: Morphologic evidence of retrograde nephropathy. Vet Pathol 46:1248-1257. Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19605901
Heptinstall RH. 1998. Urinary tract infection, pyelonephritis, reflux nephropathy. In: Heptinstall’s Pathology of the Kidney, 5th ed (Jennette JC, Olson JL, Schwartz MM, Silva FG, eds). Lippincott-Raven, Philadelphia, 725-783.
Web page last updated on: October 28, 2014