The percutaneous native kidney biopsy: a nephrologist's perspective

Introduction Kidney biopsy is one of the most important diagnostic tools in a nephrologist’s armamentarium. It has been shown that performance of a kidney biopsy in the appropriate clinical setting has the potential to alter the clinical diagnosis as well as change the therapy in many cases. Current biopsy practice is very safe with minimal complications and has the ability to obtain adequate tissue for histological diagnosis in more than 95% of cases. It is important for nephrologists to know about the various indications, contraindications and modifications in the procedure as well as the complications. All the trainees are supposed to learn the proper technique of kidney biopsy not only because of the importance of the procedure, but because of the fact that kidney biopsy is one of the triggers that enable the development of nephrology as a separate subspecialty. In this article, we critically review various aspects of a kidney biopsy that is important for practice by nephrologists. Conclusion Percutaneous kidney biopsy is a relatively safe procedure because of the development of many advances like ultrasound-guided and automated biopsy needles. Complication rates following the procedure are minimal and have been decreasing over a period of time.