title: The impact of renal biopsy in the clinical management of childhood renal disease.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Al-Rasheed