The dog kidney as experimental model in endourology: anatomic contribution

Abstract A systematic study of the morphometry and the collecting system of the canine kidney is presented and compared with previous findings in humans. Renal measurements (kidney length, width, and thickness) were recorded. In addition, 110 three-dimensional endocasts of the kidney collecting system were produced and studied. Anatomic details, important to research and surgical training in endourology, were observed and recorded in canine kidneys. Dogs whose height was more than 70 cm at the withers presented similar kidney measurements to those found in the adult human. The collecting system consisted only of a renal pelvis with a variable number of recesses around its perimeter. The dog kidney is not a good model for experimental studies that consider the morphology of the collecting system. Kidneys from dogs taller than 70 cm, however, might be useful as a model in experimental studies in which renal volume is an important aspect, such as shockwave lithotripsy and endourology.