Accessory renal arteries – Anatomical details with surgical perceptions

Introduction The accessory renal arteries usually arise from the aorta, above or below the main renal artery and follow it to the renal poles or hilum. With the increasing incidence of renal transplantations and advent of modern imaging techniques in the current era, the knowledge of accessory renal arteries should be well known for preparing renovascular surgical and radiological interventions. Materials and methods Fifty specimens from 25 adult human embalmed cadavers were taken from the department of anatomy and were studied by dissection method. Morphometric data of the specimens dissected were recorded using Vernier calipers. Results Accessory renal arteries were noted in 24% of cases with equal incidence on both sides. Most commonly, right and left accessories begin from anterolateral and lateral sides respectively. Within accessory, hilar type was most common (14%), followed by inferior polar in 12%, and superior polar in 2% of specimens. Accessories in 28.5% specimens gave rise to gonadal arteries and 7.3% specimens to inferior suprarenal artery.