Percutaneous renal biopsy as an outpatient procedure

Percutaneous renal biopsy (PRB) is a safe and effective tool in the diagnosis and management of renal disease. It is the gold standard for evaluating renal parenchymal disease. It is both useful for diagnosis and monitoring progress of renal diseases. Where facilities and personnel are available to carry out the procedure in developing countries, it has become increasingly difficult for patients to pay for hospital admission fees, the procedure, and processing of the samples obtained. Information on the success rate and safety of the procedure is of interest to nephrologists for cost-benefit considerations and medicolegal purposes. This paper reports the outcome of outpatient PRB done among patients of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. With the use of ultrasound guidance, PRB remains a safe procedure and can be done on an outpatient basis.