Current role of renal biopsy in patients with SLE

All aspects of the role of renal biopsy in systemic lupus erythematosus may not be defined and accepted, but there is increasing agreement as to the information that can be obtained from biopsy. Awareness of the importance of clinical (non-biopsy) predictors has permitted a clearer understanding of the ability of renal biopsy to confirm and to add information to a determination of prognosis based on clinical data. New techniques for scoring the patterns of injury detectable on renal biopsy have provided important insights into prognosis, pathogenesis and treatment of lupus nephritis. Watchful waiting is often an unwise course for the management of lupus nephritis. Thus, renal biopsy is increasingly seen as an important tool in the timely determination of prognosis.