A kidney biopsy (in which a sample of kidney tissue is removed and examined under a microscope) is primarily used to help the doctor diagnose disorders that affect the specialized blood vessels of the kidney (glomeruli) and tubules and unusual causes of acute kidney injury. A biopsy is often done on a transplanted kidney to look for signs of rejection.
When undergoing a kidney biopsy, the person lies face down, and a local anesthetic is injected into the skin and muscles of the back over the kidney. Ultrasound or computed tomography (CT) is used to locate the part of the kidney where the glomeruli are located and to avoid large blood vessels. The biopsy needle is inserted through the skin and into the kidney.
This procedure is usually not done in people with uncontrolled high blood pressure, bleeding disorders, active urinary tract infections, or only one kidney (except for a transplanted kidney). Complications include bleeding into the urine around the kidney and formation of small arteriovenous fistulas (abnormal connections between very small arteries and veins) within the kidney.
