Skin and muscle biopsies: Caring for your child at home after the procedure

What are skin and muscle biopsies?

A skin biopsy is a procedure where a small piece of skin is removed for testing. A muscle biopsy is a procedure where small pieces of muscle tissue are removed from your child (generally from the thigh muscle) for testing. A skin biopsy and muscle biopsy can be done at the same time. They can help you child’s doctor determine or confirm a diagnosis. Your child’s doctor will discuss the reason for your child’s biopsy with you.

Discharge from the hospital

Most children who have skin and muscle biopsies go home the same day. This is usually two hours after biopsy.

Stitches

Your child may have stitches in the skin at the biopsy site. These stitches will dissolve on their own after two to four weeks.

Dressing care

Your child will have a dressing or bandage over the site of the biopsy. Take the dressing off after 24 hours if a scab has formed over the biopsy site.

If the dressing gets wet or dirty, take it off and replace it with a clean adhesive bandage. Your child may also have a bruise at the biopsy site, which can take up to 10 days to go away.

Bathing

Your child may have a bath or shower one day after the biopsy, but try to keep the biopsy site dry until a scab has formed and it has healed.

Meals

If your child is feeling well enough after the sedation or anaesthetic, they can return to eating what they normally eat. It is also important to encourage your child to drink plenty of fluids for 48 hours after the procedure.

Pain relief

If needed, give your child acetaminophen for pain. Do not give your child any medicines that will thin the blood, such as acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) or ibuprofen, without checking with your child's health-care provider first.

Activity

Your child can resume regular activities 24 hours after the biopsy. Avoid swimming for one week, as the biopsy site needs to be kept clean.

Results

The doctor who ordered the procedure will receive the results of your child's skin and muscle biopsies. You will need to make an appointment with them to discuss the results.

When to see a doctor

Call your child's doctor or go to the nearest Emergency Department right away if your child has any of the following during the first 48 hours:

• Fever greater than 38°C (100.4°F)
• Throwing up (vomiting) that does not stop
• Significant swelling and redness around the biopsy site
• Bleeding or discharge around the biopsy site
• Severe pain at the biopsy site

At SickKids

If you have any concerns in the first 48 hours, call the Image Guided Therapy (IGT) clinic at (416) 813-7654 ext. 201804. Speak to the IGT clinic nurse during working hours or leave a non-urgent message.

If you have concerns and it is after working hours, see your primary care provider or go to the nearest Emergency Department. You can also call The Hospital for Sick Children switchboard at (416) 813-7500 and ask them to page a member of your child’s health-care team or the interventional radiology fellow on call.