A kidney biopsy report is one of the most medically technical documents most patients will ever receive. Written for pathologists and nephrologists, it contains terminology that can be deeply frightening when encountered without context - words like 'fibrosis', 'sclerosis', 'necrosis', and 'obsolescence' carry menacing connotations even when they describe findings whose clinical significance varies greatly. This post decodes the most common terms found in kidney biopsy reports and explains what they mean for you.