Sagittally malrotated kidney: a case series of two patients

Renal malrotation along the horizontal plane with the long axis of the kidney in the vertical plane can be classified according to an anomalous rotation of the embryologic kidney during ascent. However, renal malrotation along the sagittal plane with the long axis of the kidney in the horizontal plane cannot be explained embryologically and had only been previously reported in one case. Here we report two cases of renal malrotation with the long axis of the kidney in the horizontal plane. Case 1 was a 43-year-old woman with acute pyelonephritis. Right unilateral malrotated kidney was accidentally found in abdominal CT scan and she recovered uneventfully. Case 2 was a 63-year-old diabetic woman with atrial fibrillation, cerebral hemorrhage, sepsis, acute respiratory failure, acute renal failure and right renal infarction. Right unilateral malrotated kidney was accidentally found in abdominal CT scan and she expired within a few days. Thus, these two patients were the 2nd and the 3rd cases of sagittally malrotated kidneys worldwide.