Anatomical Evaluation of Renal Arteries and Veins in Kidney Donors by CT Angiography

Abstract Background: Renal transplantation (RT) is the transplantation of a kidney into a patient with end-stage renal disease and has become the treatment of choice for most patients with end-stage renal disease. The knowledge of renal vascular variations is of a great importance for the surgeons who approach the kidneys from the retroperitoneal or laparoscopic route for renal transplants. The aim of this study was to detect renal vascular variations of kidney donors in Kerman by using CT angiogram. Methods: This cross-sectional study examined the CT angiograms of all kidney donors referred to the Radiology Ward of Shafa Medical center affiliated to Kerman University of Medical Sciences from 2010 to 2012. Results: The results of CT angiograms of 344 kidney donors were as follow: Right Renal Arteries: 236 cases with one artery; 97 cases with two arteries; 9 cases with three arteries; and one case with four arteries Left Renal Arteries: 225 cases with one artery; 103 cases with two arteries; and 16 cases with three arteries Right Renal Veins: 277 cases with one vein and 12 cases with two veins Left Renal Veins: 279 cases with one vein and 10 cases with two veins. Conclusion: There is no significant difference between our results and those of previous studies. In more than 30% of cases, our findings were associated with other incidental findings.