Horseshoe kidney: An incidental autopsy finding and its medico-legal significance

Horseshoe kidney, a rare congenital anomaly characterised by a U-shaped kidney due to the fusion of the lower or upper poles, is often identified incidentally during autopsy or radiological imaging. We report a case of a 27-year-old male whose death occurred due to injuries sustained in a road traffic accident. The postmortem examination showed an incidental finding of a horseshoe kidney located in the hypogastric region at the level of the L3-L4 vertebra. In this case report, we discuss the relevant medico-legal significance of a horseshoe kidney, its role in forensic identification, and the importance of documentation of such an anomaly in a clinical and medicolegal setting to tackle future medicolegal issues.