Frequency of multiple renal arteries in human fetuses.

PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to determine the frequency of occurrence of multiple renal arteries in human fetuses.

METHODS: Sixty kidneys from human fetuses (32 males and 28 females) were used, fixed and kept in 10% formol solution. The fetal age was estimated from the hallux-calcaneus length and ranged from 20 to 37 weeks of gestation, with a mean of 25.63 weeks. The renal arteries were dissected without the aid of optical instruments, and their number, length, topographical layout in relation to their origins in the aorta walls and distribution according to gender and kidney (left or right) were determined.

RESULTS: Out of the 60 kidneys investigated, 78.33% had a single renal artery and 21.67% had multiple renal arteries. Most of the renal arteries emerged from the lateral wall of the aorta between the levels of the lower third of the twelfth thoracic vertebra and the upper third of the first lumbar vertebra. The length ranged from 0.15 to 1.5 cm and was slightly greater in females.

CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of findings of multiple renal arteries was 21.67%.