Urinary Renal Tubular Epithelial Cells and Casts As Predictors of Renal Outcomes in Patients with Biopsy-Proven Diabetic Nephropathy

Urine sediment examination is a time-tested and non-invasive diagnostic tool. This study investigated the characteristics of urine sediment and its association with severity and renal outcomes in diabetic nephropathy (DN) patients. A total of 201 biopsy-proven diabetic nephropathy patients (according to the pathological classification of diabetic nephropathy proposed by the Renal Pathology Society in 2010) who underwent manual urine sediment microscopic examination were included. We compared the clinicopathological characteristics of diabetic nephropathy patients with and without urinary renal tubular epithelial cells (RTECs) or renal tubular epithelial cell casts. The predictive value of urinary renal tubular epithelial cells or renal tubular epithelial cell casts for renal outcomes in diabetic nephropathy was analyzed. Fifty of 201 (24.9