Kidney Biopsy

Kidney Biopsy is a procedure where a piece of kidney tissue is taken and examined under a microscope for signs of disease or damage. It is done for patients with renal dysfunction or those who have hematuria or protein in urine- the cause of which cannot be otherwise identified by history, examination, urine and blood tests. By doing biopsy, the treating nephrologist can know

a. The cause of renal dysfunction

b. Extent of renal damage

c. Extent of ongoing disease activity

d. Treatment protocol

e. Long term survival of kidney

The patient lies in a prone position on their stomach. The nephrologist views the kidneys on ultrasound, a needle is inserted into the kidney under real time guidance, and a core of the kidney is taken. Usually, 2-3 cores are taken from the kidney.

In general, renal biopsy is a safe procedure.  Some of the usual complications of biopsy include pain at the site, bleeding for urinary tract, hematoma and AVF formation. After the kidney biopsy, the patient is asked to lie down in supine position for six hours and then the patient is mobilised. If the patient doesn’t develop any complication, they are discharged six hours after the kidney biopsy.