Computerized tomographic and ultrasonographic demonstration of renal hematomas following percutaneous renal biopsy

We assessed renal hematomas following percutaneous renal biopsy by using ultrasonography in 50 patients, and in 38 patients of them, computerized tomography was also used. The incidence of perirenal hematomas was 22/38(58%) checked by CT and 29/50(58%) by US. Posterior pararenal hematomas, which located outside Gerota's Fascia, were found 3/38 by CT, but only one of them was found by US. Intrarenal hematomas, with the volume of 0.5 ml to 3.5 ml, were found in 5/38 by CT, but they could not be demonstrated by US. The volume of perirenal hematomas measured by CT ranged from 2.9 ml to 367 ml, and these were statistically correlated with the products of three dimensions measured by US. There was no difference between Tru-Cut disposable needles and Vim-Silverman needles in the frequency of perirenal hematomas, but the frequency of Intrarenal hematomas was higher in using Silverman needles. A correlation was found between the fever following renal biopsy and the size of hematomas, but not between flank pain or decrease in hematocrit and the size of hematomas.