Renal biopsy

The renal biopsy is of fundamental importance in nephrology and transplantation. Using appropriate guidelines for including or excluding patients it is generally safe with the commonest complication being bleeding. The adequacy and safety have been improved using real-time ultrasound imaging and automated biopsy needles. To fully interpret the pathological findings and understand their significance, discussion between clinicians and pathologists is required. The biopsy must be processed and stained for standard haematoxylin and eosin sections as well as for immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy so as to provide a complete picture of the underlying pathological process.