The impact of renal biopsy in the clinical management of childhood renal disease.
This study was carried out to determine whether renal biopsy altered patient management or expected prognosis among children with renal disease. A retrospective analysis of case records of 106 children with renal disease having adequate renal biopsies was made. The diagnosis was altered in 47.2% and therapeutic approach was changed in 33% of the patients after obtaining the renal biopsy findings. Also, the estimate of prognosis was altered in 31.1% of the cases. These results were greater for patients with steroid resistant and congenital nephrotic syndrome, acute renal failure, asymptomatic urinary abnormalities and mixed nephritic-nephrotic syndrome. Subsequent management and prognosis was least affected by the biopsy results in patients with steroid sensitive nephrotic syndrome and chronic renal failure.
Al-Rasheed
S A
SA
Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.