Assistant Professor Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/ Northwell Hempstead, New York, United States
Abstract Body : Acquired cystic kidney disease is the development of fluid-filled cysts in the kidneys over time. It is more prevalent in the older population, and can result in end-stage renal failure. Anatomical variations in renal arteries are prevalent in about 20 to 30% of the population, however variations in the testicular veins are less common. During routine dissection of a 95-year-old male cadaver in the Structure laboratory, a large cyst was observed on the left kidney. On further exploratory dissection of surrounding structures and vasculature, we observed that the cystic kidney had four left renal arteries. The left main renal artery supplied the hilum, while an additional three were direct branches of the aorta and supplied the upper and lower portions of the left kidney. Additionally, a bifid right renal vein and two testicular veins draining into the left renal vein were observed; one draining the left testis and the other draining the right testis. Interestingly, this donor also had an ischemic caecum and ascending colon with a thin descending and sigmoid colon. Biopsies were taken from the cystic kidney, caecum, and sigmoid colon and sent for pathological evaluation. The pathology report found the sigmoid colon to be normal, but revealed several simple cysts in the kidney, and ischemic colitis in the cecum. Knowledge of anatomical variations in renal vasculature is especially important to ensure proper identification and preservation of these structures during surgical interventions.
