Renal Parenchymal Thickness as a Predictor of Post Percutaneous Kidney Biopsy Complication

To investigate the relationship of renal parenchymal thickness and the risk of developing post-procedure hematoma.

Ultrasound-guided percutaneous renal biopsy was performed in 122 patients who underwent percutaneous kidney biopsy between January 2013 and -December 2013 at Tai-he hospital. Post-biopsy renal ultrasound was performed within 12 h after the biopsy to assess the presence of hematoma in biopsied kidney. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the effect of parenchymal thickness on formation of hematoma adjusted for other nonstructural patient-related factors such as age, sex, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, serum creatinine, and urea.

The incidence of complication was 19.4%, all of which were hematoma less than 5 cm. None of the patients went on to have severe complications that required clinical, surgical, or radiological intervention. Out of the collected clinical and anatomical parameters, renal parenchymal thickness of the biopsied kidney was found to be the only factor with strong association with complication risks.

This is the first study investigating the impact of structural perimeters on complication risks of percutaneous renal biopsy. Renal parenchymal thickness is a significant predictor of presence of hematoma evident on post-biopsy ultrasound evaluation, which would be used in the early prevent the complications of percutaneous renal biopsy.