Table 6.

Guidelines for IF

No. of glomeruli, including no. of globally sclerosed glomeruli or with other evident lesions

Intensity of staining: negative, ±, 1+, 2+, and 3+

Staining pattern: granular, linear, semilinear, smudgy, and linear accentuation

Location: focal or diffuse; segmental or global; and mesangial, glomerular capillary wall, or both

Interstitial and tubular basement membrane staining: if present

Segmental trapping of C3 and IgM is common in areas of segmental sclerosis or scarring: segmental glomerular tuft or coarse segmental staining

Internal controls: albumin along TBM and GBM, C3 in vessels, and polyclonal IgA casts in tubules

TBM, tubular basement membrane.