[Bilateral renal hypoplasia with oligomeganephronie. A morphometric, light- and electronmicroscopic study (author's...

Kidney biopsy specimens of three patients with a special form of hypoplasia, the oligomeganephronic hypoplasia (Oligomeganephronie) were studied with light- and electron-microscopy as well as morphometric methods. The morphometric measurements demonstrated that there were no quantitative differences of the glomerular components between normal and oligomeganephronic glomeruli of patients of the same age. All of the structures measured--glomerular capillary surface, glomerular volume, volume of the glomerular capillary lumina and volume of Bowman's capsular space--were increased about 5.4 times. The volume of the proximal and distal tubules per mum tubular length in oligomeganephronic patients was disproportionally increased. The total number of glomeruli was more diminuished than mentionned in the literature until this time. The secondary glomerular sclerosis, initially focal, was progressive and supposed to be caused by "chronic overwork".