Precaval Right Renal Artery: Is It More Common?

Background: Thorough knowledge of renal vascular variations has major clinical implications as it contributes to the safe performance of surgical and interventional procedures and proper interpretation of radiological images. Though much attention has been paid to evaluate the numerical variations and prehilar branching pattern of renal arteries, the anomalous course of the right renal artery especially has drawn less attention. Aim: To study the prevalence of right renal artery passing anterior to inferior vena cava (Precaval right renal artery) instead of its normal posterior course. Materials and Methods: We evaluated contrastenhanced Multi Detector row Computed Tomography (MDCT) angiography scans of 225 patients (123 males and 102 females) to determine the prevalence of precaval right renal artery. Results:21precaval right renal arteries were observed in 20 cases (13 males and 7 females) with a prevalence of 8.88 %. Out of 21 precaval right renal arteries, 1 was main,17 inferior polar and 3 accessory hilar arteries. Conclusion: Most commonly, the inferior polar arteries have a precaval course. A higher incidence is also observed in males. There was a single case of main right renal artery having a precaval course which is a rare occurrence. This study suggests that the occurrence of precaval right renal artery may be more common than reported.