Anti-glomerular basement membrane nephritis after extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy

Rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis was observed in a 37-year-old woman following the administration of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) for a single stone in her right kidney. The renal biopsy specimen showed diffuse cellular crescents in all glomeruli, with linear deposits of immunoglobulin G and complement component C3 along the glomerular basement membrane (GBM). Circulating anti-GBM antibodies were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Thus, the patient was diagnosed with anti-GBM nephritis. It is suggested that ESWL produced an alteration in the GBM leading to the production of anti-GBM antibodies.