Bilateral Accessory Renal Artery- A Case Report

Abstract

Renal arteries are a pair of lateral branches from  abdominal aorta below the level of superior mesenteric artery at L1-L3 lumbar level. The renal arteries consume about 20% of cardiac output. Normally each kidney is supplied by single renal artery. Accessory renal arteries account to about 30% .These accessory renal arteries arise above or below the main renal artery. The incidence of double renal artery was found to be 23.33% and triple renal artery was found in 3.33%. The present case is regarding the presence of bilateral accessory renal arteries showing double renal artery on right kidney and triple renal artery on left kidney which includes a perforating artery. Embryologically these supernumery arteries can be attributed to its development, as it develops from pronephros, mesonephros and  metanephros. The pronephros and the mesonephros regresses, but the arterial network to these segments remains patent which leads to supernumerary renal arteries. Awareness of renal arterial variation is of immense clinical importance for radiologist and surgeons during vascular and urological procedures including renal transplantation, laproscopic nephrectomy, porto renal shunts, pyelolithotomy, and renovascular anastomoses. Knowledge about bilateral variations prevents inadvertent haemorrhage during renal surgeries.

 Keywords: Kidney, accessory renal artery, perforating artery, anatomical variations.