A case report of subdiaphragmatic right kidney as a positional variant of cephalad renal ectopia

Abstract

Renal ectopia refers to the abnormal position of the kidney outside the renal fossa. It may be in sacral, lumbar, thoracic, or subdiaphragmatic regions, of which the latter is extremely rare and may be associated with congenital abnormalities. High renal ectopia is a rare disease that affects 1 in every 22 ectopic kidney occurrences. During the routine cadaveric dissection of a 50-year-old male, we observed an uncommon case of high ascent of the right kidney, up to the bare area of liver. The right kidney was normal in size and shape, and received a renal artery positioned obliquely, 3 mm below the origin of the left renal artery and its vein drained into the hepatic portion of the inferior venacava (IVC). Knowledge about the variations in the positions of the kidneys is very important as cephalad ectopic kidney may pose a challenge for surgical and interventional procedures.