Percutaneous kidney needle biopsy in children is less traumatic than in adults

Hemorrhagic complications following percutaneous kidney needle biopsy were prospectively assessed in 20 children and adolescents (age 2-17 years) undergoing a total of 22 biopsies. Macroscopic hematuria was observed in 1 case and hematocrit reduction of more than 3% in 2. Gray-scale ultrasonography performed in all patients 48 h after the biopsy detected peri- and intrarenal hematomas in 2 cases. Based on these data and those from another study on children, comparison to three similar studies in adults showed a 9.3% mean incidence of macroscopic hematuria in children versus 36.2% in adults (p less than 0.01), a 9.1 versus 31.3% mean incidence of hematocrit reduction of more than 3% (p less than 0.05), and a mean incidence of only 10.9% in children versus 65.6% in adults of radiologically detected peri- and intrarenal hematomas (p less than 0.001). We conclude that percutaneous kidney needle biopsy in children is less traumatic than in adults. Hence when relating to hemorrhagic complications of the procedure, the two populations have to be addressed separately.