Morphological and vascular variations of the left kidney: a case report

Introduction The left kidney is supplied by the left renal artery, which is a branch of the abdominal aorta and drained by left renal vein, which is a tributary of the inferior vena cava. This article reports a case of morphological and vascular variations of the left kidney. Case report During dissection classes for medical undergraduates, we observed morphological and vascular variations of the left kidney in a male cadaver aged approximately 65 years. Hilum of the left kidney was situated on the medial half of its anterior surface. The left renal artery made a prominent downward curve at its origin and then coursed upward and to the left. It divided into two major branches before entering the kidney. The left renal vein had two divisions: an upper and a lower. The upper division was formed by a union of two veins, and the lower division was a single vein. The upper division and lower division had a crisscross arrangement before they united to form a single vein. Conclusion Knowledge of the morphological and vascular variations of the kidney reported here is of importance to urologists, radiologists, endocrinologists and surgeons.