Accessory Renal Arteries in Cadavers and in Computed Tomography Scans – A Comparative Study

Background and objectives: Renal arteries supply blood to kidneys. Embryonic development of kidneys is a complex phenomenon which is the basis for various anatomical variations found in the humans. Accessory renal artery is a common variation where more than single renal artery is present for one particular kidney. There have been lots of studies carried out to study accessory renal arteries. But those are either cadaveric or radiological studies. Present study was planned to study the comparison of findings in both the studies together with the population having similar geographical region of Indian origin. Material and Methods: The study was conducted on 36 formalin fixed cadavers and on 36 computed tomographic scans of renal arteries. In the present study the incidence of accessory renal artery, if any, was recorded on right side and on left side. The data obtained in cadavers was compared with the same obtained in Computed Tomography (CT) scan study. Results: The accessory renal artery was found in 12 cadavers and in 3 CT studies unilaterally, while it was present in 4 cadavers and in 2 CT studies bilaterally. Conclusion: In current study, the incidence of accessory renal artery was slightly greater in cadavers than in CT scans.