Kidney Biopsy - Glossary

Glossary

Kidneys: The kidneys filter wastes from the blood and transfer them to the urine. They are a pair of reddish-purple organs located below the ribs towards the back. Kidneys also regulate the blood pressure, produce the red blood cell as well as maintain the salt balance in the body.

Kidney transplant: Replacing a non-functioning or defective kidney with a tissue and blood-matched, normal, functioning kidney.

Glomeruli: These are blood capillaries that are present at the tip of the filtering units, nephrons, and aid in filtering wastes from the blood.

Immunohistochemistry: This is a visualization technique to detect and observe the internal distribution of components within cells. It uses dye-labeled proteins to tag specific cellular components within cells to allow for ease in visualization and detection.