Kidney biopsy is a process where a small kidney tissue is taken and examined under the microscope to diagnose kidney diseases or monitor the severity of the problem. Apart from that, the biopsy is also done to track down the disease progress of the kidney or see the extent of the damage of the kidneys. In some cases where kidney transplant was previously done, kidney biopsy is also ordered by the doctor to see if a ctransplanted organ is or is not functioning well.

Indications for a kidney biopsy:

Some of the problems or indications why a physician orders a biopsy of the kidney include hematuria or blood in the urine especially if an underlying kidney problem occurs; patients with nephritic syndrome, renal cancer, acute nephritic syndrome and even SLE or systemic lupus erythematosus.

The procedure:

When a renal biopsy is ordered by the doctor, consent is given to the patient wherein it states that the person understands the procedure and that he or she allows it. The risks and the expected outcome should be explained by the doctor and questions raised should be answered. Before the procedure, the physician asks to avoid taking blood-thinning products like aspirin and even ask them not to eat or drink hours before the tests.

The test is painful so a local anesthesia will be given because a huge needle is inserted directly into the kidney. An ultrasound machine is needed so that it guides the physician on where the kidneys are located and where to insert the needle. An incision may be done so that the needle can easily penetrate and the renal tissue is collected. This can be painful because the doctor will insert about 3-4 times to get more tissues for the kidney biopsy.

After the renal biopsy, the patient is asked to lie still to avoid bleeding. Their vital signs are checked and frequent monitoring is done to make sure that there are no complications from the procedure.