Native kidney biopsy in pregnancy and postpartum: A single centre experience from India

Background: With the advances in medicine and imaging, renal biopsy is increasingly utilised for identifying pathologies during pregnancy.

Methods: This retrospective observational study aimed to assess indications and complications among 32 women who underwent native renal biopsies during pregnancy and postpartum from 2015 to 2022.

Results: The commonest indications for performing the biopsy were nephrotic syndrome and acute kidney injury during pregnancy or immediately postpartum. Most (62.5%) had biopsies performed in the antenatal period. Lupus nephritis was the most common finding on biopsy, and there were no procedure-related serious adverse effects. Most pregnancies were complicated by hypertensive disorders and preterm birth. All except six women with perinatal loss had healthy neonates.

Conclusions: Even as kidney biopsy remains the gold standard for diagnosing renal pathologies, it should be reserved for women where management in pregnancy would be altered by the result.