Yield and complications in percutaneous renal biopsy

Abstract

PURPOSE: To compare the yield and complications of ultrasound-guided gun-biopsy and manual Tru-Cut techniques in percutaneous renal biopsy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 448 biopsies were reviewed. They comprised 124 manual and 131 gun-biopsies in native kidneys, and 111 manual and 82 gun-biopsies in transplant kidneys. The gun-biopsies were performed under real-time ultrasound (US) guidance. The manual technique used US mainly for marking the position of the kidney. RESULTS: There was a significantly higher diagnostic yield and fewer complications in the gun-biopsy group. A total of 8 major complications were found, all in the manual group. CONCLUSION: Provided that the operator is experienced in US scanning, a switch from the manual technique to real-time US-guided gun-biopsy will result in the improvement of diagnostic accuracy together with a reduced risk of complications.