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Abstract
Objective To investigate the rate of complications after kidney biopsy (KBx) in patients with Systemic lupus erythematosus/lupus nephritis (SLE/LN) in a single-center cohort compared to literature cohorts.
Methods A retrospective single-center analysis from 2002–2023 was performed. Patient and disease characteristics, as well as complications after KBx, were sampled. Major complications were the need for angiographic intervention, blood transfusion, and referral to the IMC/ICU. Perinephric hematoma was considered a minor complication and was further divided according to the size (<4cm vs. >4cm).
Results In our SLE cohort, 79 kidney biopsies were included in further analysis. While minor complications were found in 17.7%, 6.3% (5) had major complications (figure 1 and table 1). The SLR considered five cohort studies eligible for analysis (table 2). Together with our cohort, KBx data of 1586 SLE patients found overall major complications in 2.7–7.0% 1–5 (figure 2). Angiographic intervention was required in up to 3.0% of the literature cohorts, while blood transfusions were needed in 0.8–5.3%. Perinephric edema was infrequently reported; some authors only measured hematoma >4cm. These were present in 2.3–6.3% of KBx and resolved in most cases without further intervention.
Conclusions Although kidney biopsy is the undisputed gold standard in LN diagnostics, patients should be informed about the relevant complication rate. In addition, risk stratification may help to identify high-risk patients in advance and improve monitoring.
Acknowledgements No support or funding was received.
Characteristics of patients with complication after KBx
Analyzed literature cohorts
Rate and type of complications
Comparison of major and minor complications in literature vs. Göttingen cohort
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