Background: The renal biopsy is usually performed as an in-patient procedure, with patients admitted to hospital for at least 24 hours. We have carried out renal biopsies on two groups of patients. In the first group, patients rest in the hospital for 8 hours following the procedure. They are discharged after undergoing ultrasonography and a TC scan. These patients return to the hospital after 24 hours to verify possible post-biopsy complications. In the comparison group, patients remain in hospital for 24 hours.
Results: In both groups, the only observed complication was asymptomatic postbiopsy hematoma. No major complications were present in either group.
Conclusions: In selected cases, renal biopsy performed by an expert practitioner as an outpatient procedure is safe and does not require 24-hour observation.