P0245PERCUTANEOUS RENAL BIOPSY IN FRAIL AND HIGH RISK PATIENTS

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Abstract Background and Aims: Many patients with End Stage Kidney Disease do not undergo percutaneous kidney biopsy (KB) and do lack a definite diagnosis. Whether KB is beneficial in the extreme patients’ categories, i.e., age >75 years and very late referrals with kidney disease requiring renal replacement therapy at the first evaluation, remains controversial. Aim: To analyse the benefit/risk balance in terms of therapeutic options and general outcome of KB procedure in these borderline categories. Method Files for all biopsies performed in our Centre between 2013 and 2019 (# 903 inpatients’ native kidney) were retrospectively analysed with special focus on histological diagnosis, biopsy complications, and post-biopsy patient’s outcome. Two groups of high risk patients were identified 1. >75 years old patients, and 2. patients requiring dialysis at the first clinical evaluation. A rigorous protocol of screening of the bleeding risks was adopted. Results Of the 903 biopsies, 217 cases (24%) had group 1, and 92 (10%) group 2 criteria. Group 1: mean age 80 years (range 75-92), main histological diagnoses: ANCA associated vasculitis (AAV) (12,4%); membranous nephropathy (MN) (11,5%), diabetic nephropathy (10,1%), IgA glomerulonephritis (IgAGN) (9,2%), cast nephropathy (9,2%), renal amyloidosis (9.2%), focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS - 7,8 %). Group 2: mean age 60 years (range 20-92), most frequent histological diagnosis: AAV (26,1%); cast nephropathy (19,6 %), nephroangiosclerosis (9,8%), IgAGN (7,6 %), diabetic nephropathy (6,5%), renal amyloidosis (5,4%); FSGS (4,3%). Five major complications (2,3%), including AV fistula with spontaneous resolution in 4 patients and 1 case of severe bleeding requiring arterial embolization, and 14 minor complications (6,5%), including post biopsy haematomas <2cm in 12 patients and haematuria in 2 patients were observed in group 1. Only 1 (1%) major complication (AV fistula) and 4 minor complications (4,3%), including post biopsy <2cm haematomas in group 2 were identified in group 2. Histological diagnosis conditioned or changed treatment strategy in 71% of elderly patients (group 1), and 63% of patients in dialysis (group 2). Dialysis discontinuation was achieved in 30 out of 92 patients (36,6%) with a sparing of over 1 million euro/year. Conclusion Given its high diagnostic value (especially in patients who are willing to be transplanted), the prognostic significance (and the assessment of the extent of the renal sclerotic changes), and the potential impact on the treatment policy, indications to percutaneous kidney biopsy in elderly and dialysis patients should be probably revised.