Laparoscopic renal biopsy in obese children

Percutaneous kidney biopsy is routinely used to obtain renal tissue for histological examination. It is usually successful and has very few contraindications. We describe two children with clinical obesity in whom the percutaneous approach failed to yield renal tissue for histology. They underwent successful laparoscopic kidney biopsies that yielded adequate renal tissue for diagnosis, although the first attempt in one patient yielded renal medulla necessitating a repeat biopsy. We recommend that laparoscopic kidney biopsies should be considered in obese children when percutaneous kidney biopsies are considered impossible.