Renal biopsy —The first step and another step—

Abstract

The first renal biopsy in Japan was performed at Niigata University in 1954. Records indicate that pediatric renal biopsy was also performed at Niigata University in 1957. Since there was no pathology atlas for renal biopsy at that time, they did everything themselves, including observing the renal biopsy tissue, interpreting the clinical symptoms and pathology, and deciding on a treatment plan. Seventy years have passed since then, and the roles of clinicians and pathologists have been divided into the technique and diagnosis of renal biopsy, respectively. In addition, many guidelines based on pathological findings have been established, and uniform treatment based on pathological diagnosis has become possible without the observation of the tissue itself. However, there are several cases in which treatment based on guidelines does not work, and in such cases, it is sometimes difficult to determine which direction to take to modify treatment. At such times, the pathological findings of renal biopsies can be a useful source of information to consider the course of treatment. This review describes the basics of renal biopsy procedures and the interpretation of basic pathological findings.