Glomerulitis during acute cellular rejection may be a surrogate marker of vasculitis in renal allografts--better index for diagnosis of vasculitis.

Background: The Banff criteria (from 2005 to 2009) use "T cell-mediated rejection" to indicate acute cellular rejection. Vasculitis in smaller arteries is an important diagnostic criterion for moderate and severe T cell-mediated rejection. The renal allograft endothelium is a significant target of inflammatory response-mediated tissue damage.