What is Kidney Biopsy?

A kidney biopsy is the removal of a small piece of kidney tissue or cells. A pathologist (a doctor who specializes in tissue diagnosis) uses a microscope to look at the tissue for abnormalities.

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A kidney biopsy is done to diagnose a disease or medical condition.

A kidney biopsy may be done if you have:

• Blood in the urine
• High levels of protein in the urine
• Low kidney function
• A growth on the kidney
• Kidney infection
• Cyst on the kidney

Once the tissue is examined, your doctor can make a diagnosis and provide treatment.

If you had a kidney transplant , it may also be done to see if your new kidney is working properly.

Possible Complications

Complications are rare, but no procedure is completely free of risk. If you have a kidney biopsy, your doctor will review a list of possible complications, which may include:

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Pain

Be sure to discuss these risks with your doctor before the biopsy.

Call Your Doctor

After arriving home, contact your doctor if any of the following occurs:

• Bloody urine 24 hours after biopsy or a lot of blood in the urine
• Difficulty urinating
• Signs of infection, including fever and chills
• Dizziness
• Pain that is worse at biopsy site
• Pain that you cannot control with the medicines you have been given
• Always feeling the need to urinate
• Pain or burning when you urinate
• Redness or drainage at biopsy site

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