PERCUTANEOUS RENAL BIOPSY - EXPERIENCES WITH AN ULTRASOUND-GUIDED AUTOMATED BIOPSY SYSTEM IN 761 CONSECUTIVE BIOPSIES

Retrospectively we reviewed 761 consecutively performed renal biopsies on 509 patients within 36 months. Among 351 biopsies (39.4%) of nativ e kidneys the main diagnoses were 262 cases of glomerulonephritis and 167 of so-called benign nephrosclerosis, 26 as a main diagnosis. Conce rning the 262 cases of glomerulonephritis, the most frequent diagnoses were IgA nephropathy (n = 93, 26.5%), FSGN (n = 42, 12%), minimal cha nge and membranous nephropathy (each n = 34, 9.7%) and intra-extracapi llary proliferative glomerulonephritis (n = 30, 8.5%). In 410 graft bi opsies (60.6%) 219 biopsies showed interstitial (78%), 14 vascular (5% ), and 49 both interstitial and vascular (17%) rejection. Furthermore, 21 cases of glomerulonephritis (5.1%) were discovered among the graft biopsies, including 8 cases of histologically proved recurrent and 8 of de novo diagnosis. In 5 cases no histological diagnosis predecessin g renal transplantation became apparent. Only 5 (0.66%) biopsies devel oped post biopsy clinical relevant complications (3 perirenal hematoma s, 1 AV fistula, 1 tamponade of the bladder). Again percutaneous renal biopsy is proven to be a diagnostically efficient and safe tool at th e same time even within an enormous amount of a non-selected patient p opulation. The relatively frequent diagnosis of the so-called benign n ephrosclerosis seems to indicate the need for an intensified interest on this disease.