Study of the renal segmental arterial anatomy with contrast-enhanced multi-detector computed tomography

To use triphasic multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) to study the renal segmental arterial anatomy and its relationship with the urinary tract to plan nephron-sparing surgery (NSS).

One hundred and fifty nine patients underwent abdominal contrast-enhanced MDCT. We evaluated renal arteries and parenchymal vasculature. In 61 patients, the arteries and the urinary tract were represented simultaneously.

86.60 % presented a single renal artery; 13.4 %, multiple arteries. All single renal arteries divided into anterior and posterior branch before the hilum. The anterior artery branched into a superior, middle, and inferior branch. In 43.14 %, the inferior artery arose before the others; in 45.75 %, the superior artery arose before the others; in 9.80 %, the branches shared a common trunk. In 26.80 %, the posterior artery supplies the entire posterior surface; in 73.20 %, it ends along the inferior calyx. In 96.73 %, the upper pole was vascularized by the anterior superior branch and the posterior artery: the “tuning fork”. MDCT showed four vascular segments in 96.73 % and five in 3.27 %. MDCT showed two avascular areas: the first along the projection of the inferior calyx on the posterior aspect, the second between the branches of the “tuning fork”.

The arterial phase provides the arterial tree representation; the delayed phase shows arteries and urinary tract simultaneously. MDCT provides a useful representation of the renal anatomy prior to intervascular–intrarenal NSS.