A report on accessory renal arteries incidence in Slovak adults: Cadaveric study and surgical correlation.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate renal arterial variations in Slovak context.

Methods: Forty cadavers (80 formalin-fixed cadaveric kidneys) were included in the study. The accessory renal arteries (ARAs) were evaluated on the basis of point of origin, termination in the kidney (superior pole, hilum, inferior pole), and symmetry.

Results: The incidence of ARAs was detected in 20 % (8/40) of the cadavers. Double renal arteries were observed in 9 (11.25 %, n = 80) of kidneys. Among 8 cadavers with ARAs, the unilateral presence of ARA was found in 7 cadavers and bilateral presence in 1 cadaver. Among 9 ARAs, polar artery was the most common anomaly seen in 7 (78 %) kidneys (inferior polar artery 5, superior polar artery 2) followed by the hilar artery in 2 kidneys.

Conclusions: This is the first cadaveric study on the incidence and morphology of ARAs in Slovakia. The study has shown that the variations in renal arterial anatomy are a frequent finding (20 % of cadavers) while all of the described variants have significant implications for a variety of surgical procedures in the retroperitoneal space. The variations in renal arteries should be considered an integral part of anatomy teaching as they point to the diverse clinical reality of anatomy (Tab. 1, Fig. 1, Ref. 35). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: renal artery, variation, polar artery, double renal artery, cadaver.