Utility of renal biopsy in the clinical management of renal disease

Dhaun et al. suggest that in addition to the standard criteria for kidney biopsy, other indication should be considered. Examples are elderly and diabetics. The kidney biopsy is used in clinical setting to acquire diagnosis, predict disease progression and response to treatment. It is also an important research tool. Coupled with new molecular research techniques such as microarray, laser capture microdissection and mass spectrometry, the kidney biopsy leaded to elucidation of etiology and pathogenesis of kidney diseases. Though use of these techniques in clinical setting is not currently prevalent. Hope is that one day specific therapy can be developed to target molecular pathways of diseases.