The Intrarenal Venous Architecture of the Pig Kidney (Sus scrofa)

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to explore the intrarenal ramifications of the renal vein in the kidney of the pig. For this purpose, the kidneys of eight adult pigs of both sexes were used. Corrosion casting and radiography revealed that the main stem renal vein was formed by the union of three renal veins, cranial, middle and caudal. The 3nd order of branching was represented by 8-9 interlobar veins. The ventral half of the cranial end and the caudal third of the kidney were drained by the cranial and caudal renal veins as well as their large interlobar tributaries. The dorsal half was drained by small dorsal collateral veins that emptied into the ventral set. In the middle third of the organ, there were large veins in a close relationship to the ventral and dorsal surface of the uretero-pelvic junction in 75% and 25% of the specimens respectively. Numerous venous anastomoses were found throughout the renal parenchyma and on that basis we conclude that the renal venous system in the pig is not segmented. Our results are compared to those in other animal species and in humans.v