Horseshoe kidney found in a female cadaver

The present report describes a case of malformation of the kidney, of the type known as horseshoe kidney, in an 83-year-old Japanese female used for student dissection practice. In this case, the kidney consisted of three parts: the original kidneys on both sides and an isthmus between them. The kidneys formed a U-shaped structure as a result of fusion at the inferior poles of the original kidneys. As a whole, the structure presented a typical horseshoe shape. The renal artery system as well as the position of the kidney was almost normal except for a surplus artery into the isthmus. The incidence of horseshoe kidney was estimated to be 0.27% in our department for the period from 1975 to 1988.