Human renal vessels variant close to the hilum of the right kidney: a rare case report

Background: The human kidneys are supplied by renal artery and vein. Close to the kidney hilum the renal artery is divided into anterior and posterior branches and then gives five segmental arteries before entering the hilum while the renal vein is formed by the union of the segmental veins. The variations can occur in these vessels according to the previous studies and these variations are important for surgeons. Objectives: This study was aimed to demonstrate variations of renal vessels close to the hilum of the right kidney. Materials and methods: The study was conducted on the human plastinated right kidney, during routine dissection for medical students in medical college, Najran University, KSA. Results: We observed six right segmental arteries and aberrant upper polar artery. In addition, we founded upper anterior, upper posterior and lower inferior renal veins leaving the hilum of the right kidney, the anterior upper one received three segmental veins while the upper posterior and lower anterior are continuous without receiving segmental veins. Conclusion: we observed a variation on renal vessels close to the hilum of the plastinated right kidney and this knowledge is important for surgeons doing kidney transplants.