title: German recommendations for pretransplantation donor kidney biopsies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This manuscript reviews the data about the histopathologic and develops recommendations to standardise and improve the biopsy procedure, the biopsy handling, the histopathological evaluation, the communication of results and the collection of data from pretransplantation kidney biopsies of deceased donors in Germany.
  
  
  METHODS
  The recommendations are based on this literature review, on discussions at two workshops held by the German Society of Pathology and the German Organ Transplantation Foundation and on personal experiences of the authors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  These German recommendations advocate the use of punch biopsies, paraffin embedding and detailed descriptive reporting of histopathological findings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These recommendations constitute only a starting point. Periodical revisions will help to simplify and optimise the recommendations with the ultimate goal to prospectively gather data for the elaboration of a computer-based algorithm that allows the exact prediction of transplantation outcome for a given match of donor and recipient.
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Visceral Surgery, University Hospital Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Przemyslav
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pisarski
authors.affiliation: German Organ Transplantation Foundation, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schleicher
authors.affiliation: Medical Clinic III, Nephrology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Ingeborg
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hauser
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University Hospital of Cologne, Kerpener Straße 62, 50937, Cologne, Germany. janbecker@gmx.com.
authors.forename: Jan U
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Becker
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy; D046148:Donor Selection; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D011300:Preoperative Care
keywords: Donor biopsy; Preimplant biopsy; Preimplantation biopsy; Zero-hour biopsy