Recurrence of idiopathic membranous nephropathy in a renal allograft.

A middle-aged man with idiopathic membranous nephropathy, who developed chronic renal failure, received a cadaver renal allograft. Two months later, massive, persistent proteinuria developed. A biopsy specimen of the allograft showed changes characteristic of membranous nephropathy and identical to those present in the patient's own kidney. The criteria for recurrence of glomerulonephritis in renal allografts are met in this case.