Double right renal vein: clinical and surgical implications and review of the literature

Abstract

Context: Variations in renal vascular morphology are relatively common and involve both the renal arteries and the renal veins. Presence of supernumerary vessels is the variation most frequently encountered. Knowledge of such findings is valuable for urologists with regard to kidney transplantation, nephrectomy, vascular anastomosis, selective catheterization and many other surgical procedures on the kidneys.Objective: To report on a case of duplication of the right renal vein and its clinical and surgical implications.Case report: In one dissected specimen from a male cadaver, the presence of two right renal veins parallel to each other was observed in a position anteroinferior to the right renal artery. One vein emerged from the upper portion of the renal hilum, while the other emerged from the lower portion of the hilum. The two veins drained separately into the inferior vena cava, and neither of them received any tributaries.Conclusion: Knowledge of these vascular variations is important for urologists, vascular surgeons and radiologists, given that performing angiography prior to surgical interventions in the retroperitoneal space avoids complications, especially with regard to kidney transplantation.