Approach to renal biopsy

AB Fogo - American Journal of Kidney Diseases, 2003 - ajkd.org
An adequate sample size must be obtained for diagnosis. Needle gauge has dramatic
impact on sample obtained. Eighteen-or 19-gauge needles give very small, narrow samples
and often may have inadequate representation of vessels. For focal lesions involving a small
number of glomeruli, 25 glomeruli may be needed for LM examination to have a greater than
95% chance of detecting those lesions. Minimum sample size for diagnosis varies greatly
with the specific diagnosis; for instance, membranous glomerulonephritis can be diagnosed …