Clinical significance of early kidney biopsy

: We use the unexpected results of five kidney biopsies to discuss how early biopsy in renal disease can change the therapy and correct the diagnosis of the disease. The first patient was a 73 year-old male diabetic who had osteomyelitis and developed rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis. The next patient was a 72 year-old man who was treated for cardiac failure and increasing serum creatinine. The kidney biopsy revealed rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis. The third patient developed acute renal failure after an episode with vomiting. Here the histological diagnosis was acute renal failure and parenchymatous renal disease could be ruled out. The next patient was a 13 year-old girl. She had proteinuria (5-6 g/d) and hypertension (200/140 mm Hg). After four months, serum creatinine was 200 mumol/l. She was then biopsied, and we found membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis type 1. After the diagnosis was established she was treated with immunosuppression and her condition improved. The last patient was a 55 year-old male diabetic. He developed nephrotic syndrome and the histological diagnosis of the kidney biopsy was membranous glomerulonephritis stage 1. Six months after the kidney biopsy we found carcinoma of the lung. This underlines the importance of the fact that 10% of membranous glomerulonephritides are tumour associated.