[Arterial blood supply in double kidneys and kidney fusions]

Double kidneys and renal fusions are the most common anomalies of the upper urinary tract. The effecting factors are still widely unknown. Very often these kidneys are the location and reason of recurrent infections, stone-forming and hydronephrosis. Operations like nephrotomies and partial resections, in which the preoperative knowledge of the arterial blood supply is of great help, have to be performed on them. In a series of 600 kidneys which were examined by pyelography and angiography we found among the 549 kidneys with a normal, single collecting system multiple renal arteries in 13,3% of the cases. In 27,5% of 51 double kidneys and renal fusions in this series we saw more than one artery, counting up to 4 arteries. A connection between the extent of renal duplication and the number of arteries could not be seen. Prior to parenchymal operations on double kidneys and renal fusions a renal arteriography should be performed, as multiple arteries and uncommon arterial origins are to be expected.