Chronic relapsing minimal change nephrotic syndrome with or without mesangial deposits: Long term follow-up

The purpose of this study is to report and compare the clinicopathologic features and the long-term response to corticosteroid therapy in a group of 37 children with chronic relapsing, steroid responsive MCNS, which includes 25 patients whose renal biopsy specimens demonstrated the complete absence of immunofluorescent and electron dense deposits (Group I) (2-18 years follow-up, mean 8 years) and 12 patients who demonstrated the presence of immunofluorescent and electron-dense deposits in the mesangial region of the glomeruli (Group II) (5-18 years follow-up, mean 10.3 years). An attempt was made to correlate the presence or absence of glomerular immune deposits with the clinical course and response to therapy. All biopsy specimens were studied by light, immunohistologic and electron microscopic techniques.