Mandatory Lab data before kidney biopsy
What laboratory data should be obtained before undertaking a kidney biopsy?
Routine laboratory tests that are obtained before biopsy include a complete biochemical profile, complete blood count, platelet count, prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, blood type, antibody screen for cross-matching, and a urinalysis.
The practice of obtaining bleeding times prior to a percutaneous kidney biopsy is debated among different medical centers due to the lack of randomized, prospective studies, availability, and consistency.
In a large prospective study of more than 1000 percutaneous kidney biopsies using real-time ultrasound guidance, patients with a bleeding time greater than 7.5 minutes had higher rates of biopsy-related complications.
About 50% of these patients had a serum creatinine greater than 1.5 mg/dL. However, other studies have reported no increased risk.
The use of bleeding times prior to a percutaneous kidney biopsy thus remains center dependent.
