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Kidney Biopsy Complication

Posted by hello1234 @hello1234, Aug 19, 2023

Hi Transplant Family!
I hope you are doing well. I just came back from my three year kidney transplant annual visit. My creatinine has increased from my baseline due to a complication from my 4 month protocol biopsy. The stabbing from the biopsy needle formed a fistula within the kidney. To solve this, Intervention Radiology will go in at the groin to inject a chemical to clot off the fistula that formed within the kidney. (It sort of sounds similar to a heart catheterization of the kidney). Has anyone heard of this procedure or experienced a similar procedure?

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Mentor
Ginger, Volunteer Mentor | @gingerw | Aug 21, 2023
In reply to @rosemarya "I've only had the protocol Post Kidney Biopsies. I think mine were years 1,3,5,10. This might..." + (show)
@rosemarya

I've only had the protocol Post Kidney Biopsies. I think mine were years 1,3,5,10. This might be different now, but that was my only experience with kidney biopsy, This conversation caught my interest and I was curious about the information that @tjdog shared. So I did a quick investigation and this is what I found and want to add to this conversation. I was happy to see this because I am past the 10 year protocol, and was wondering "what if...?"

There is a different purpose in Prospera and kidney biopsy.
- Prospera™ ( link shared above by @tjdog) is for Kidney Transplant Assessment. It is covered by Medicare. It is a transplant rejection assessment test that uses a simple blood draw to evaluate the risk of rejection of a transplanted kidney.

- Kidney Biopsy - from the Mayo Clinic Health Library Tests and procedures.
A kidney biopsy is performed to diagnose, help develop treatment, check progression and extent of damage, evaluate if treatment is working. and "Monitor the health of a transplanted kidney or find out why a transplanted kidney isn't working properly".
@hello1234, In the section on Risks, I read this and thought of you. "Arteriovenous fistula. If the biopsy needle accidentally damages the walls of a nearby artery and vein, an abnormal connection (fistula) can form between the two blood vessels. This type of fistula usually causes no symptoms and closes on its own."
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https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/kidney-biopsy/about/pac-20394494
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I also want to tag - @gingerw, @jennifer0726

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@rosemarya My husband was taking part in the trials that were developing protocol for those blood tests to catch early signs of rejection in the transplanted kidney. Like @caretakermom mentioned, they sent out a nurse to our house to do the blood draw several times. His nephrologist had signed him up for the trial. He will celebrate 7 years this Oct 1 with his new kidney, and had had no issues.
Ginger

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