Rotation and forward displacement of the right kidney in hepatomegaly

In a dissecting room cadaver, with an enormously enlarged liver, the right kidney was found rotated and displaced forward and downward. The anterior (inferior) pole of this kidney appeared bulging under the inferior border of the liver, reaching the anterior abdominal wall. An explanation for the changes which occurred during the development of the hepatomegaly and resulted in the displacement of the kidney are analyzed. The practical clinical implications that such a variation may have, either diagnostic or surgical, are stressed. The findings in the left kidney or an aberrant inferior polar artery, arching around and compressing the renal vein, are also described and analyzed.