Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Sep;21(3):1155-1162.
doi: 10.4314/ahs.v21i3.24.

Anatomical variations of the renal artery: a computerized tomographic angiogram study in living kidney donors at a Nigerian Kidney Transplant Center

Abayomi Aremu  1 , Martin Igbokwe  1 , Olalekan Olatise  2 , Ahmad Lawal  3 , Kester Maduadi  4
Affiliations

Anatomical variations of the renal artery: a computerized tomographic angiogram study in living kidney donors at a Nigerian Kidney Transplant Center

Abayomi Aremu et al. Afr Health Sci. 2021 Sep.

Abstract

Background: Understanding of the renal vascular anatomy is key to a safe and successful donor nephrectomy, which ultimately impacts on the renal graft function and survival in kidney transplant recipients.

Objective: To report the various anatomical configurations of the renal artery identified in living kidney donors in a Nigerian kidney transplant institution.

Materials and methods: The computerized tomography angiograms of 100 consecutive living kidney donors were prospectively reviewed over an 18-month period. Anatomical variations of the renal arteries including accessory arteries and early divisions were noted. Duration of surgery and ischemic time were recorded intra-operatively. Data analysis was carried out using IBM SPSS version 20.

Results: There were variations in renal artery configuration in 50 (50%) cases, 32% were accessory renal arteries while 18% were early branches of the renal artery. The classical bilateral solitary renal arteries were found in 50 (50%) of potential donors. There was statistically significant longer operating and ischemic time in donors with multiple renal arteries as compared with solitary arteries (p<0.05).

Conclusion: There are a wide variety of renal artery configurations seen in potential kidney donors. The classical solitary renal artery remains the commonest and most favourable configuration for donor nephrectomy and transplantation.

Keywords: Renal artery; living kidney donors; variations.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Showing single renal artery on both sides
Figure 2
Figure 2
Showing an accessory hilar arteryto the left kidney
Figure 3
Figure 3
Bilateral accessory renal arteries
Figure 4
Figure 4
Unusual bilateral accessory renal arteries
Figure 5
Figure 5
Co-existence of accessory right renal artery and left early division of renal artery
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Turba UC, Flacker R, Bozlar U, Hagspiel KD. Normal renal arterial anatomy assessed by multidetector CT angiography: are there differences between men and women? Clin Anat. 2009;22(2):236–242. - PubMed
    1. Beregi JP, Mauroy B, Willoteaux S, Mourniervehier C, Remyjardin M, Francke J. Anatomic variation in the origin of the main renal arteries: spinal CTA evaluation. European Journal of Radiology. 1999;9(7):1330–1334. - PubMed
    1. Ozkan U, Oguzkurt L, Tercan F, Kizilkilic O, Koc Z, Koca N. Renal artery origins and variations: angiographic evaluation of 855 consecutive patients. Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology. 2006;12(4):183–186. - PubMed
    1. Thatipelli MR, Sabater EA, Bjarnason H, McKusick MA, Misra S. CT angiography of renal artery anatomy for evaluating embolic protection devices. J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2007;18(7):842–846. - PubMed
    1. Awojobi OA, Ogunbiyi OA, Nkposong EO. Unusual relationship of multiple renal arteries. Urology. 1983;21(2):205–206. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources