Laparoscopic renal biopsy in bilateral pelvic kidney with chronic glomerulonephritis

Percutaneous needle biopsy under the guidance of ultrasound or computerized tomography is the most valuable method in the diagnosis of parenchymal kidney diseases. However, sometimes it can be difficult to perform in the presence of certain anomalies, anatomic variations, or medical problems. In the presence of bilateral pelvic kidney, which is a rare anomaly, laparoscopy can be used to obtain biopsy. Biopsy of kidney was planned in a 26-year-old woman who presented with a history of hypertension for 7 years and proteinuria with the diagnosis of nephrotic syndrome. For the biopsy, the laparoscopic approach was chosen since the patient had bilateral pelvic kidneys. Under general anesthesia, using three port sites, the right kidney was reached, which was located more anterior than the left one. Three biopsy specimens for histologic evaluation were taken with a Tru-Cut biopsy needle. No complications were encountered during or after the operation. The patient was ceased from urological follow-up after performing an ultrasound on the first postoperative day. This is the first case of pelvic kidney with chronic glomerulonephritis reported in the literature in which the histologic diagnosis was made with the help of laparoscopy. Laparoscopic kidney biopsy is a minimally invasive technique that can be done in cases with anatomic variations, making percutaneous needle biopsy impossible.