Immunohistochemical study of pathological alterations of peritoneum in patients with terminal renal insufficiency and on peritoneal dialysis.

BACKGROUND/AIM: During peritoneal dialysis (PD) an exchange of substances between blood and dialysate takes place through specific histological structures of peritoneum. Peritoneal double-layered serous membrane has, so far, mostly been studied with electron microscopy on experimental animals. The aim of this study was to assess integrity of peritoneal tissue in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and PD patients using standard light microscopy and immunohistochemical methods. METHODS: Peritoneal tissue biopsies were performed on 25 persons: 8 healthy donors during nephrectomy, 9 ESRD patients upon insertion of PD catheter, and 8 PD patients upon removal of the catheter for medical indications. The samples were fixed and prepared routinely for immunocytochemical staining by standardized streptavidin biotin AEC method using a LSAB2 HRP kit (Dako, Denmark) for collagen IV and analyzed by light microscopy. RESULTS: We observed mesothelial detachment from lamina propria, duplicated basement membrane and much thicker blood vessel walls in ESRD and PD patients, compared to healthy subjects. Differences in histological structure, emphasized with immunostaining, indicated pathological alterations of peritoneal tissue in the renal patients. CONCLUSIONS: Imunohistochemistry can be used in studying histological alterations of peritoneal tissue in ESRD and PD patients. This method may indicate possible problems in filtration and secretion processes in this tissue.