[Cortical renal microcysts in Lowe's syndrome].

We report a familial case of Lowe's syndrome with histological and ultrastructural examination of the renal biopsy. The patient was an eleven years old boy with operated congenital bilateral cataracts, mental and psychomotor retardation, hyperexcitability, muscular hypotonia, proteinuria, generalised aminoaciduria, proximal tubular acidosis and reduced glomerular filtrate. The renal biopsy showed, in addition to the alterations in the glomerular corpuscle (mesangial proliferation), proximal tubules (atrophy, dilatation, hyalinous or calcerous cylindres and mitochondrial abnormalities) and interstitium (fibrosis, lymphocytic infiltrate), large number of cortical microcysts, many of with corresponded to Bowman's cystic capsules with small glomeruloid projections.