Angiographic Diagnosis of Renal Parenchymal Disease

Abstract

The angiographic features of chronic glomerulonephritis, chronic pyelonephritis, and advanced arteriolonephrosclerosis were evaluated and compared. Three features of discriminatory value were found, enabling correct differential diagnosis in 88% of cases: (a) the “lucent cortex sign,” seen most commonly in chronic glomerulonephritis as the result of markedly diminished peripheral cortical perfusion; (b) small lucencies of nephrosclerosis, due to multiple tiny infarcts; and (c) fine dense granularity of chronic pyelonephritis, due to heterogeneous preservation of reduced numbers of glomeruli.