Your child will be taken to the room where their kidney biopsy will take place.

The procedure normally takes about one hour.

Your child will be given sedation or anaesthesia so they do not feel any pain during the procedure. Most children are asleep for the procedure and so will not feel the biopsy.

You can usually stay with your child during the procedure.

Your child will usually lie on their front as the kidneys are easiest to get to from the back. The doctor will clean the area with antiseptic, then use an ultrasound machine to help insert the needle in the right place.

The doctor will insert the needle in your child’s lower back to take the sample. You may hear a clicking sound as the sample is taken.

A biopsy of a transplanted kidney is done the same way, but your child will lie on their back and the doctor will do the biopsy close to the scar from their transplant operation.

The doctor may need to take two or three samples of your child’s kidney to get enough to analyse.

Once they are finished, they will put a watertight dressing over the cut to keep it clean while it heals.

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