Clinical experiences with lumboscopic kidney biopsy

Lumboscopic renal biopsy is a new, quite convincing technique to gain renal tissue for histopathological and immunological examinations, which Sommerkamp introduced in 1974. A small flank incision (approx. 2 cm) is necessary to introduce a lumboscope into the retroperitoneal space. The lower pole of the kidney can be reached through the capsula adiposa and biopsy may be performed under view. The histopathological results and the postbioptic course in 55 patients show the advantages of this method against open surgical and percutaneous biopsy.