Renal Biopsy

Excerpt

Renal biopsy is a crucial diagnostic tool used to evaluate kidney diseases by obtaining tissue samples for microscopic examination. There are 2 main types of renal biopsies—targeted and non-targeted biopsies. Targeted biopsies help diagnose the pathologic nature of a mass lesion. In contrast, non-targeted biopsies sample the renal cortex to diagnose systemic diseases affecting the kidneys, such as kidney dysfunction after transplant, complications from medications, diabetes mellitus, or other chronic diseases.

Renal biopsies can also be classified based on the method used to obtain the specimen, including:

1. Percutaneous biopsy

2. Transvenous biopsy

3. Laparoscopic biopsy

4. Open surgical biopsy

This activity primarily focuses on percutaneous image-guided targeted and non-targeted biopsies, which is the preferred approach due to its minimally invasive nature, high diagnostic yield, and relatively low complication rate.