Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate the origin of the vascular structures in ectopic kidneys with multidetector computed tomography (CT). The abdominal CT images of 96 cases with 106 ectopic kidneys were retrospectively reviewed. The ectopic kidney location, type of ectopia, and the origins of renal arteries and veins of the ectopic kidneys were evaluated. The origins of the renal arteries and veins were classified as suprarenal aorta/inferior vena cava (IVC), normal origin, infrarenal aorta/IVC, aortic/IVC bifurcation, common iliac artery/vein, iliac bifurcation, internal iliac artery/vein, and external iliac artery/vein. Finally, the ectopic kidneys were classified according to the most common combinations of artery and vein origins. The renal artery originated from the suprarenal aorta in 1 case, normal origin in 13 cases, the infrarenal aorta in 36 cases, aortic bifurcation in 50 cases, the common iliac artery in 17 cases, and the iliac artery bifurcation in 2 cases. The renal vein was of normal origin in 19 cases, originated from the infrarenal IVC in 44 cases, IVC bifurcation in 36 cases, the common iliac vein in 23 cases, the internal iliac vein in 1 case, and the external iliac vein in 1 case. We classified the artery and vein origins of the ectopic kidneys into 7 most common types and other less common types. A significant correlation was found between the level of the ectopic kidneys and the origin of the arteries and veins (P < 0.001). Our study shows that the majority of ectopic kidneys have various origins of arterial and venous supply. We described the most common vascular origins of ectopic kidneys. Prior knowledge of these vascular variations may have important implications in preventing iatrogenic hemorrhage during surgery of patients with ectopic kidney.
Published Version
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