OVERVIEW
A renal biopsy is a procedure used to extract kidney tissue for laboratory analysis. The word “renal” describes the kidneys, so a renal biopsy is also known as a kidney biopsy.
BIOPSY: A biopsy is the removal of a small amount of tissue. It is an important way doctors diagnose many different types of cancer, refers to tissue which has been removed from a living body for examination, in order to discover the presence, cause, or extent of a disease.
For small biopsies, such as punch biopsy or a core needle biopsy, the entire specimen is looked under the microscope.
There are two methods of performing renal biopsy:
- Renal needle biopsy: This is the most common type of renal biopsy. For this procedure, a doctor inserts a thin biopsy needle through the skin to remove the kidney tissue. They may use an ultrasound or CT scan to direct the needle to a specific area of the kidney.
- Open biopsy: Also known as a surgical biopsy. For this procedure, the doctor makes a cut in the skin near the kidneys. This allows the physician to look at the kidneys and determine the area from which the tissue samples should be taken.
SPECIMEN: The tissue sample removed during a biopsy is called a specimen. The medical staff who perform biopsy place the specimen in a container with a fluid that preserves it. The container is labeled with the patient name and other details.
INTERPRETATION OF THE RESULT:
The results of a renal biopsy are considered abnormal if there are changes in the kidney tissue. There are numerous causes for this result. Sometimes, diseases that begin in other parts of the body can cause damage to the kidneys.
If results are abnormal, it indicates:
- kidney infection
- restrictions or weaknesses in the flow of blood to the kidneys
- connective tissue diseases
- rejection of a kidney transplant
- kidney cancer
- complicated urinary tract infection
- numerous other diseases that have a negative effect on kidney function
WHY GET TESTED?
Renal biopsy is performed:
- To determine an abnormal level of waste products in the blood
- To see if a kidney tumor is malignant or benign
- To determine how well a transplanted kidney is working
- To investigate the cause of hematuria (blood in the urine)
- To determine the cause of proteinuria (high level of protein in the urine)
- To see the severity of progressive kidney failure and how quickly the kidneys are failing
- To create a treatment plan for a diseased kidney
