Morphological variability of the vascularisation of the polar renal parenchyma. A study on corrosion casts and dissections

Abstract

A comparative analysis of the origin and number of the arterial sources of the two poles of the renal artery was performed on 100 corrosion pieces and 50 dissection pieces. The renal artery trunk developed two branches (anterior and posterior) in 86.7% of cases, three branches (anterior, posterior and superior/inferior) in 10.7% of cases, and four branches (anterior, posterior, superior and inferior) in 2.6% of cases. In 78% of cases, the superior pole had only one arterial source originating from: the anterior branch (54%), the posterior branch (14.67%) or the superior branch (9.33%). In 22% of cases, it had two arterial sources arising from the anterior and posterior branches (18%), the superior and posterior or the posterior and superior branches in equal share (2%). In 88.67% of cases, the inferior pole was supplied only by one segmental artery arising from the anterior branch (82.67%), the posterior branch (4%) and the inferior branch (2%). In 11.33% of cases, two arterial sources of the inferior pole were revealed: anterior and posterior. The study reveals the greater variability of the vascular sources of the superior pole. The anterior branch was the main source of both poles. When the inferior pole was supplied by the inferior or posterior branch, these were sole arterial sources. Such morphological aspects are useful in renal vascular surgery.