[Deposits of unusual structure in lupus glomerulonephritis]

The authors report a case of Lupus nephritis shown by ultrastructural analysis of subendothelial, mesangial and especially subepithelial deposits formed by aggregates of electron-dense straight tubular structures 20 to 30 nm in diameter. These unusual structural deposits, always identical, are observed in 4 biopsies performed over 8 years during the management of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in a young woman. They are compared to the usual "Fingerprint" deposits of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and to the geometric type deposits of cryoglobulinemic glomerulonephritis.