A cadaveric study on morphometry and hilar structural pattern of adult human kidneys

Background: Kidneys are bean shaped excretory organs found on either side of the vertebral column in the posterior abdominal wall. Anatomical knowledge regarding renal morphometry and hilar structural pattern are important during urological surgical procedures. They serve as important indicators in the progression of any disease in both nephrology and urology practice. The aim of this study was to analyze the morphometric features of both right and left kidneys and to compare it with the previous studies. The features analyzed were length, breadth, width and weight of both right and left kidneys. Shape of the kidneys, lobulations and variations in the hilar patterns were also noted. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted in the department of Anatomy, Yenepoya Medical College, Mangalore. A total of 60 (30 right and 30 left) adult human cadaveric kidneys were studied. Length, breadth, width and weight of all the kidneys were noted. The average valuewas noted for all parameters. Shape of the kidneys, Lobulations and variations in the hilar patterns were also observed. Results: The length of right kidney varied between 7 and 11cms with an average of 8.72cms whereas the length of left kidney ranged between 7.1and 11.7cms with an average of 9cms. The breadth of right kidney varied between 4 and 6cms with an average of 4.92cms. The breadth of left kidney ranged between 3.7 and 6.4cms with an average of 5cms. The width of right kidney varied between 2.9 and 4.4cms with an average of 3.53cms whereas the width of left kidney ranged between 2.4 and 5cms with an average of 3.76cms. The weight of right kidneys ranged from 60 to 140grams with an average of 88.44 grams. The weight of left kidneys ranged from 56 to 142 grams with an average of 90 grams. Lobulations were seen in both right and left kidneys along with variations in the hilar pattern. The hilar structural pattern arrangement were classified into six types. The antero-posterior arrangement of renal vein, artery and pelvis was the most predominant one. Conclusion: Knowledge regarding the variations in the morphological features and vascular patterns of kidneys are important in the field of renal transplantation and posterior abdominal wall surgeries. Hence, the detailed knowledge regarding these parameters are of great use for anatomists, surgeons, urologists and radiologists in their field of practice.