A thorough knowledge of the variations of the renal artery has grown in importance with the increasing numbers of renal transplants, vascular reconstructions, and various surgical and radiologic techniques. The literature indicates that multiple renal arteries are found in 9- 76% of cadavers. The purpose of this study is to establish the incidence and characteristics of variations of renal arteries in Thais. A total of 267 Thai cadavers were dissected in the anatomy laboratory. The anatomical findings included: a single hilar artery in 82% of cases; double renal arteries in 17% of cases (one hilar artery with an upper polar artery occurred in 7%; two hilar arteries in 7%, and one hilar artery combined with one lower polar artery in 3%); and triple renal arteries occurred in 1% (two hilar arteries with one upper polar artery in 0.4% and two hilar arteries with one lower polar artery in 0.6%). In preparation for interventions, such as living renal donation, vascular reconstruction, renovascular hypertension, or radical nephrectomy, the results indicate that preoperative renal imaging is necessary and that operative techniques with attention to multiple renal arteries should be considered.
Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.