Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Point-of-Care Kidney and Genitourinary Ultrasound in Adults: Image Acquisition
Published on: June 21, 2024
A case of the horseshoe kidney
1Department of Anatomy, Gifu University School of Medicine, 40 Tsukasa-machi, Gifu 500-8705, Japan.
Abstract:
During cadaver dissection for student education in anatomy laboratory of Gifu University School of Medicine, a case of the horseshoe kidney was observed in a 63-year-old Japanese female cadaver. The kidney was fused at the lower poles of the original kidneys by the parenchymatous isthmus and showed a typical horseshoe shape. The hili on both sides opened towards the ventral direction, and the ureters descended in front of the isthmus and entered the bladder normally. The location of the kidney was lower than that of the normal kidney. Four surplus arteries entered the isthmus and the lower part of the kidney besides the normal right and left renal arteries. The incidence of the horseshoe kidney during the dissecting practice at Gifu University School of Medicine from 1971 to 1997 was estimated to be 0.36% (4 out of 1130 bodies).
Related Concept Videos
Kidney Structure
External Anatomy of the Kidney
The kidneys are located in the retroperitoneal space on either side of the vertebral column, protected posteriorly by the 11th and 12th ribs. The right kidney sits slightly lower than the left owing to the presence of the liver...
Nephrons
Renal Corpuscle
Glomerulus: Structure and Function
The glomerulus is a tiny, intricate network of capillaries located at the beginning of the nephron. It's enveloped by the Bowman's capsule and receives its blood supply from an afferent arteriole, which divides into numerous capillaries...
Anatomy of the Genitourinary System I: Kidneys and Ureters
Kidney Transplant I: Introduction

