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General and Systemic Histopathology, C601&C602
     
    Slide 164: Kidney with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis
     
     
    Again, I think you can appreciate the inflammatory infiltrate  just by noting the focal and diffuse blue staining of the interstitial tissue.  However, the most important finding here is the microscopic observation of the epithelial crescents within Bowman's  space.

    See this slide with the virtual microscope.

    The hallmark of this disastrous condition is the proliferation of the parietal epithelium of Bowman's capsule. The proliferating cells grow into the shape of a "crescent" and may largely replace the space. The crescent is ONLY an indicator of the profound damage to the basement membrane. I doubt that the crescent itself contributes much to the progression of the disease. You should find evidence of marked glomerulonephritis in virtually all glomeruli. 

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