Eur J Anat, 20 (3): 227-230 (2016)

Congenital contralateral venous drainage of a right ectopic kidney to left common iliac vein: a rare case report

Pranav Divakaran^1,2, Matthew J. Roberts^2,3,4, Marlon Perera^2,3, Antonio Pais⁵, Casper F. Pretorius^1,2

¹James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia, ²Department of Surgery, Mackay Base Hospital, Mackay, Queensland, Australia, ³The University of Queensland, School of Medicine, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, ⁴The University of Queensland, Centre for Clinical Research, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, ⁵Department of Radiology, Mackay Base Hospital, Mackay, Queensland, Australia

ABSTRACT Arterial renovascular variation is common. However, specific reports of variations in renal venous drainage are limited. We report a case of a rare renovascular anatomical variant incidentally identified via abdominal computed tomography (CT). The right kidney was anteriorly rotated and low lying (iliac). The arterial supply entered the hilum of the kidney from two branches, specifically, from the abdominal aorta at L3/L4 and at the bifurcation of the aorta. Venous drainage was similarly variant with the superior pole draining into the inferior vena cava (IVC) at L3/L4. The inferior pole drained to the contralateral (left) common iliac vein coursing anteriorly to the right common iliac vein. To our knowledge, this particular venous variation has not been previously documented. This case is discussed in relation to renovascular embryology and clinical relevance for specialists operating within the retroperitoneum.

Keywords: Renal circulation, Congenital abnormalities, Anatomy, Arteriovenous malformations