Anatomical study of renal and accessory renal arteries

In recent years, more conservative methods of surgery of the renal artery are coming up. Hence, a precise knowledge of renal vasculature has become a necessity. Knowledge of the existence of accessory renal arteries is important; otherwise, they may get inadvertently damaged during renal surgery. Furthermore, their presence must be considered while evaluating a donor's kidney for possible renal transplantation. The study may also be useful to clinicians performing invasive techniques, vascular surgeries, other uro-radiological procedures, and in cases of trauma. Keeping this in mind, this study was conducted on 530 adult cadavers. A total of 1060 kidneys obtained from these cadavers were dissected and accessory renal arteries were looked for; 24.99% of the specimens showed the presence of accessory renal arteries. In 20.75%, one accessory renal artery was found, and in 4.24% of specimens, two accessory renal arteries were seen.