The Adequacy of Ultrasound Guided Native Renal Biopsy
The Adequacy of Ultrasound Guided Native Renal Biopsy
Francis AO, Crosbie I
Percutaneous renal biopsy was first introduced into clinical practice in the 1950s by Iversen et al. Since then, advances in light microscopy and in immunofluorescent and electron-microscopic techniques have greatly expanded the understanding of renal disease. Renal biopsy is fundamental to the clinical study of glomerular diseases and an adequate sample is required for accurate interpretation. Using the audit cycle, we assessed the adequacy of ultrasound guided native renal biopsies in our institution using a standard adopted from Geldenhuys et al. We also assessed the minor and major complication rates associated with the procedure.
Data from all native renal biopsies performed in our institution from 1st January – 31st December 2022 were collected. Biopsies performed for the investigation of malignancy were excluded. Patient demographics and procedural data were obtained from the National Integrated Medical Imaging System (NIMIS). Histological data were obtained from patient medical records.
There were 66 native renal biopsies performed of which 49 were for the investigation of medical renal disease. Histological data were unavailable for 7 patients which were excluded from the audit of adequacy. Diagnostically adequate samples were obtained in 96% of patients. Two patients (4%) required repeat biopsy due to inadequate sampling. Three patients (6%) experienced minor complications which did not require further intervention. One patient (2%) experienced a major complication requiring transfer to another institution for definitive management.
We currently achieve a satisfactory standard regarding the adequacy of ultrasound guided native renal biopsies with low rates of minor and major complications.
