The diagnostic potential of fetal renal biopsy.
The feasibility of fetal renal biopsy has been investigated in order to assess the diagnostic value of the histological specimen. Two fetuses with a severe bilateral renal abnormality (multicystic dysplastic kidney, Meckel-Gruber syndrome with polycystic kidney) and one fetus with Down syndrome (no detectable structural anomaly) were sampled. Histological findings in the biopsy specimens of cases 1 and 2 were diagnostic of an early obstructive renal disease. In case 3, the findings were consistent with normal development for gestational age of the kidney. Fetal renal biopsy is technically feasible; histological examination of the samples showed a good correlation with postnatal findings. Further studies of its diagnostic value are required.
Greco
P
P
Cattedra di Patologia Ostetrica e Ginecologica R, Università di Bari, Italy.
Loverro
G
G
Caruso
G
G
Clemente
R
R
Selvaggi
L
L
D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000196:embryology / Q000473:pathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results