A radiological investigation of the hepatorenal space: the importance of the ventral decubitus for safer percutaneous right renal access

We investigated anatomical and radiological morphometric parameters, aiming to minimize the risk of hepatic and colonic injuries during right percutaneous kidney access under either ventral or dorsal decubitus of patients. Prone and supine abdominal computerized tomographic examinations from 31 normal adult volunteers (men = 12; women = 19; without history of abdominal pathology) were analyzed morphometrically in order to study the dynamic anatomical relations between the liver and the right kidney. The age of the volunteers ranged from 22 to 64 years old (mean ± SD = 42.77 ± 2.10). We observed a significantly greater distance between the liver and the right kidney (hepatorenal space) when the examinee is positioned in ventral decubitus (3.93 ± 0.37 cm) in comparison with dorsal decubitus (1.98 ± 0.20 cm). Accordingly, we conclude that right percutaneous access to the inferior right renal pole implies a significantly lower risk (P < 0.01) of both hepatic and biliary injuries when performed in ventral decubitus, comparatively to dorsal decubitus.