CT demonstration of vascular anatomy in pelvic ectopic kidney

Abstract

A rare case of an ectopic kidney was detected during an abdominal CT examination of a 54-year-old female. While the right kidney was in the normal position, the left one was located in the pelvic fossa between the L3 and S1 vertebral levels. It received its blood supply from two renal arteries. The first renal artery to the ectopic kidney (A1) was from the distal aorta at the level of L3 entering the superior pole of the kidney on the lateral side, and the second renal artery to the ectopic kidney (A2) was from the contralateral common iliac artery posteriorly at the L3-L4 intervertebral disc level. The renal vein was anterior to the renal artery and drained into the left common iliac vein. The left renal pelvis was anterior to the renal vein. A knowledge of the renal vascular anatomy in ectopic kidneys is important in kidney transplantation and aortic surgery.