Masson's trichrome stain in the evaluation of renal biopsies. An appraisal.

A detailed evaluation of the use of the Masson's trichrome stain in the light microscopic study of glomerular alterations indicates this to be an excellent, inexpensive method to obtain maximum information. Most aspects of glomerular pathology may be appreciated. In properly prepared tissue and with high magnification, proteinaceous deposits of rather small size, axial mesangial abnormalities, and mesangial cell interposition may be detected. There is generally excellent correlation with electron-microscopic and immunofluorescent studies. While this method cannot replace the more sophisticated ultrastructural and fluorescent technics, it can offer considerably more information than is presently appreciated.