[Viviperception on renal vessel variation by retroperitoneal laparoscopy a report of 525 cases]

To study the variation of renal vessels with retroperitoneal laparoscopy so as to increase the safety of retroperitoneal laparoscopic surgeries.

A total of 525 patients underwent retroperitoneal laparoscopic nephrectomy or partial nephrectomy at our hospital between January 2004 and June 2008. There were 316 males and 209 females with a mean age of (58 ± 13) years old. The procedures were as follows: (1) patients lay on one side with their waist up and the retroperitoneal cavity was established with our institutional method; (2) gerota's fascia was separated widely along the ventral surface of major psoas muscle; (3) the tissues around renal arteries and veins were isolated by ultrasonic scalpel. Careful observation was performed to explore if there were duplicated or accessory renal vessels; (4) renal vessels were cut by Endo-GIA/Hem-o-lok or blocked by bulldog clamps; (5) whole or partial kidney was finally resected (remaining procedures omitted).

Among all patients, 58 patients (11.0%, 58/525) had a variation of renal vessels. There were double renal arteries on one side (n = 18), double renal veins (n = 10), 3 renal veins (n = 1) and double arteries and veins on one side (n = 3). Twenty-five patients (4.8%, 25/525) had one accessory renal artery on one side while 19 (76.0%, 19/25) accessory renal arteries went toward the upper kidney pole. The diameter of one patient's left spermatic vein was similar with that of renal vein and they were joined by lumber vein.

The variation of renal artery is more common than that of renal vein. The accessory renal arteries are common and usually go toward the upper kidney pole. The variation of renal vessels should be considered before and during a laparoscopic procedure.