A 66-year-old man presented with edema, which had developed over the previous month. The urinary sediment showed fatty casts (Panel A), with typical "Maltese crosses" under polarized light (Panel B), and was otherwise unremarkable, with no sign of nephritis. Laboratory evaluation revealed hypoalbuminemia (2.2 g of albumin per deciliter), hypercholesterolemia (369 mg of cholesterol per deciliter [9.5 mmol per liter]), and a serum creatinine level of 1.0 mg per deciliter (88 µmol per liter); a spot urine sample showed a protein-to-creatinine ratio of 13. A diagnosis of idiopathic membranous nephropathy was made on the basis of a renal biopsy and . . . Join discussion...

Acute renal failure is defined as a rapid decrease in the glomerular filtration rate, occurring over a period of minutes to days. Because the rate of production of metabolic waste exceeds the rate of renal excretion in this circumstance, serum concentrations of markers of renal function, such as urea and creatinine, rise. The causes of acute renal failure are classically divided into three categories: prerenal, postrenal (or obstructive), and intrinsic. Prerenal azotemia is considered a functional response to renal hypoperfusion, in which renal structure and microstructure are preserved. Postrenal azotemia — obstruction of the urinary tract — is initially accompanied . . . Join discussion...

The most common procedure for clearing blocked kidney arteries can also release thousands of tiny particles into the bloodstream that can impair kidney function, according to researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues. Join discussion...

This guide summarizes clinical evidence about the effectiveness and safety of angioplasty and medical therapy for treating atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS). This guide does not address how to choose among diagnostic strategies for evaluating suspected ARAS, and it does not discuss renal artery stenosis due to fibromuscular dysplasia. Join discussion...

Two medical cases in the news recently caught my eye. Join discussion...

UroToday.com - Dr. Othon Iliopoulos, Harvard Medical School presented "VHL, Hypoxia-Dependent Pathways and VEGF in Renal Cell Carcinoma" in the session "Target Selection in Renal Cell Carcinoma and Bladder Cancer". Join discussion...

If you've been anxiously awaiting the day that you could analyze your DNA in the comfort of your own home, then you wait is over. Plop down 15 grand and get your analyzing on! Join discussion...