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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
A kidney biopsy, also called renal biopsy, is a procedure to remove a small piece of kidney tissue so that it can be examined under a microscope for signs of damage or disease. Your doctor may recommend a kidney biopsy if blood tests, urine tests or imaging techniques don't provide enough information to diagnose a kidney problem. A kidney biopsy may also be used to determine the severity of kidney disease or to find out if treatment for kidney disease is working. You may need a kidney biopsy if you've had a kidney transplant that's not working properly.
Most kidney biopsies are performed by inserting a thin needle through the skin. In this procedure, an imaging device helps guide the needle into one of your kidneys to remove tissue.
- Kidney biopsy. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. kidney.niddk.nih.gov/Kudiseases/pubs/pdf/KidneyBiopsy.pdf. Accessed March 1, 2010.
- Whittier WL, et al. Indications for and complications of renal biopsy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 1, 2010.
- Walker PL. The renal biopsy. Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. 2009;133:181.
- Kidney biopsy: A guide for patients. National Kidney Foundation. http://www.kidney.org/atoz/atozcopy.cfm?pdflink=11-10-0106_PatBro_RenalBiopsy.pdf. Accessed March 1, 2010.
- Brenner BM. Kidney biopsy. In: Brenner BM. Brenner and Rector's The Kidney. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3105-5..50025-6--cesec44&uniq=191360963&isbn=978-1-4160-3105-5&sid=974056109. Accessed March 1, 2010.
- Watnick S, et al. Kidney disease. In: McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2010. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=11374. Accessed March 1, 2010.
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