Renal Biopsy

Renal biopsy is also known as a kidney biopsy. It is a process of extracting a small amount of infected renal tissue for better understanding the severity of the disease to provide appropriate treatment. The Kidney doctor suggests for a biopsy test only when they suspect severe kidney problems and also in cases of kidney transplantation.

Mainly there are two different ways to perform this surgery

Percutaneous biopsy: It is the most preferable and standard renal biopsy procedure. It is a minimally invasive procedure, where the surgeon inserts a thin biopsy needle at the site of kidneys to extract sample tissue under the guidance of ultrasound, to direct the needle into a particular area of the kidney.

Open biopsy: This is an open surgical process in which a surgical cut is made on the skin near the kidneys. This procedure helps to expose kidneys and allows the surgeon to take tissue samples from the desired part.

A kidney biopsy helps to diagnose specific kidney problems which can’t be diagnosed with regular tests. It helps the surgeon to develop a treatment plan based on the test results. It also helps to diagnose:

• Progression of acute or chronic kidney disease
• the extent of kidney damage
• kidney tumours whether it is malignant or benign
• why specific treatment interfering kidney functions
• how well your kidneys are recovering after treatment
• Some other unusual conditions

In the case of kidney transplantation, biopsy helps to monitor the health of a transplanted kidney, or if it’s not working, it diagnoses why a transplanted kidney is not functioning correctly.

When your blood tests and urine tests show that your kidneys are not functioning properly, to know the exact cause, a kidney specialist might suggest a renal biopsy. It recommended when the test show:

• Blood in the urine
• high level of waste products in the blood
• in case of proteinuria(high amounts of protein in the urine), it helps to diagnose the cause

• During this process, you made to lie on your abdomen to get better access to your kidneys to the surgeon.
• The treatment area will be cleaned with a sterile solution
• Under general anaesthetic conditions, the surgeon will insert a needle under the guidance of an ultrasound called a percutaneous biopsy
• Then the surgeon will collect the tissue sample by guiding the needle carefully to the kidneys.
• You may feel discomfort when the surgeon takes the sample
• If the diagnosis requires more samples, then the surgeon needs to insert the needle multiple times.
• After completion of collecting the samples, the surgeon will close this tiny incision with bandage or dressing
• The collected renal sample will be sent for further diagnostic procedures.

After the biopsy test, you will be taken to a recovery room to monitor your blood pressure, pulse and breathing for the signs of bleeding inside the body, or any other problems. You should take rest for 12 to 24 hours after the procedure as directed by the doctor. You may feel soreness or pain at the site of biopsy for a few hours. You’ll be given pain medications. If your vitals are stable, you can leave the hospital on the same day.

Test Results

The biopsy test results might indicate the following kidney problems.

• Kidney cancer
• Urinary tract infection
• Connective tissue disease
• Kidney infection
• Rejection of kidney transplant
• Restriction of kidney’s blood flow

Based on the renal biopsy results, the surgeon suggests various treatment plans for different kidney problems. If you have had any kidney problems, contact our kidney specialist. If you left untreated for kidney problems at the right time, it might result in life-threatening conditions.