Renal pathology is the subspecialty of surgical pathology which deals with the diagnosis and characterization of medical diseases of the kidneys. In the academic setting, renal pathologists work closely with nephrologists and transplant surgeons, who typically obtain diagnostic specimens via percutaneous renal biopsy. Diseases which affect the glomerulus and result in renal failure are particularly important and challenging to the renal pathologist, who must often synthesize findings from light microscopy, electron microscopy, and immunofluorescence to obtain a definitive diagnosis.