Expanding the Role for Kidney Biopsies in Acute Kidney Injury

• Published in: Seminars in nephrology Vol. 38; no. 1; pp. 12 - 20
• Main Authors: Waikar, Sushrut S., McMahon, Gearoid M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-01-2018
• Subjects: Acute kidney injury; Acute Kidney Injury - diagnosis; Acute Kidney Injury - pathology; Acute Kidney Injury - therapy; Biopsy; Ethics, Research; histopathology; Humans; Kidney - pathology; pathogenesis; biopsy; histopathology; pathogenesis; Acute kidney injury
• ISSN: 0270-9295; 1558-4488
• DOI: 10.1016/j.semnephrol.2017.09.001

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a highly heterogeneous, common, and potentially devastating condition associated with markedly increased hospital length of stay, cost, mortality, and morbidity. Expanding the role for kidney biopsies in AKI may offer fresh insights into disease heterogeneity, molecular mechanisms, and therapeutic targets. A number of challenges face investigators and clinicians considering research biopsies in AKI: ensuring patient safety, ensuring the ethical conduct of research studies, and maximizing the scientific yield of the kidney tissue obtained. The societal benefits of research that lead to novel strategies for preventing and treating AKI would be enormous. Rethinking our current approach to the role of kidney biopsy for AKI diagnosis and research may be a major step toward the promise of personalized medicine in nephrology.