Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Book

Renal Biopsy

Michael Young  1 , Stephen W. Leslie  2
In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
.
Affiliations
Free Books & Documents
Book

Renal Biopsy

Michael Young et al.
Free Books & Documents

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.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Michael Young declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Stephen Leslie declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

References

    1. Müller RU, Benzing T. Cystic Kidney Diseases From the Adult Nephrologist's Point of View. Front Pediatr. 2018;6:65. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Avni FE, Garel C, Cassart M, D'Haene N, Hall M, Riccabona M. Imaging and classification of congenital cystic renal diseases. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2012 May;198(5):1004-13. - PubMed
    1. Bordoni B, Sugumar K, Leslie SW. StatPearls [Internet] StatPearls Publishing; Treasure Island (FL): 2023. Jul 17, Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis, Pelvic Floor. - PubMed
    1. Campbell SC, Clark PE, Chang SS, Karam JA, Souter L, Uzzo RG. Renal Mass and Localized Renal Cancer: Evaluation, Management, and Follow-Up: AUA Guideline: Part I. J Urol. 2021 Aug;206(2):199-208. - PubMed
    1. Heilbrun ME, Remer EM, Casalino DD, Beland MD, Bishoff JT, Blaufox MD, Coursey CA, Goldfarb S, Harvin HJ, Nikolaidis P, Preminger GM, Raman SS, Sahni A, Vikram R, Weinfeld RM. ACR Appropriateness Criteria indeterminate renal mass. J Am Coll Radiol. 2015 Apr;12(4):333-41. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources