label: Podocyte foot process effacement
label_lc: podocyte foot process effacement
description: "An anomaly of podocyte morphology characterized by the loss of the interdigitating foot process pattern (generally called foot process effacement; FPE). The term FPE designates the loss of the usual interdigitating pattern of foot processes of neighboring podocytes, leading to relatively broad expanses of podocyte processes covering the glomerular basement membrane (GBM). It is widely viewed as a pathological derangement that is associated with leakage of macromolecules such as albumin through the glomerular filtration barrier."