Anatomic abnormalities of cadaver kidneys procured for purposes of transplantation

Abstract

Over a 7-year period the authors studied the vascular and ureteric anomalies of kidneys procured from brain dead, heart-beating cadavers for the purposes of transplantation. Four hundred donors had a bilateral nephroureterectomy performed using an en-bloc technique, followed by fine anatomical dissection in cold saline slush solution. Thus, 800 kidneys were available for study. Single renal arteries were found in 72 per cent of the kidneys, with multiple arteries occurring in 28 per cent. The renal veins showed a more uniform anatomical pattern and were single in 92 per cent of instances. There were nine ureteral anomalies, all duplications, being just 1 per cent of the total number studied. Sex, race, and blood group of the donor did not significantly influence the number of anomalies seen. In sum, anatomical variants were noted in 197 (49.3%) donors, 69 (17.3%) with bilateral anomalies and 128 (32.0%) with unilateral anomalies. A knowledge of these anatomical variants will allow surgeons responsible for organ procurement to proceed with caution and so prevent wastage of cadaver kidneys due to technical misadventures.