An Accessory Left Renal Artery: A Case Report

Anatomical variants of the renal vasculature are considered to be normal variants and are extremely common. Variations include accessory renal arteries that enter the hilum of the kidney and aberrant renal arteries that enter the capsule of the kidney. Routine dissection of the abdomen of an 87-year-old female cadaver revealed a left renal accessory artery penetrating the hilum of the kidney. Renal vascular variants are very important to be aware especially for surgical procedures such as kidney transplants or repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms, as well as various diagnostic imaging procedures to ensure patient safety and proper patient diagnosis.