Anatomical Study of the Rare Left Renal Vein Anomaly

Abstract Introduction Due to its length, the left renal vein (LRV) is generally idyllic in renal transplantation surgical procedures. As such, understanding the course and attributes of the LRV, including whether it is pre-aortic or not, is essential for surgeons and other healthcare professionals, such as physicians. The understanding of these aspects is crucial in preventing unexpected fatalities and hemorrhage resulting from surgical procedures. Nevertheless, a limited number of clinical anatomy studies have focused on the anatomical variations of the LRV compared to the renal arterial systems. Often, the anatomical anomalies and variations of the renal veins are overlooked by radiologists, even as such variations and anomalies are indicative of the operation course and type, including vascular surgical procedures. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate and describe rare LRV anomalies and variations. Macroscopic dissections of 30 human donors (23 males and seven females) were conducted to realize this objective. The specimens were acquired from various body donation services and university dissection rooms. All the specimens studied were reported as having died from causes unrelated to this study. Results This study’s findings have demonstrated the existence of different LRV anomalies, which met the criteria for classification into four key categories. Type I anomaly was the most prevalent, closely followed by Types III, II, and IV. Nonetheless, the Type IV LRV anomaly has been acknowledged to be the most infrequent. In the present study, the prevalence/incidence rate of LRV Type I, Type II, Type III, and Type IV anomalies was disclosed to be 6.6%, 1.6%, 3.3%, and 0%, respectively. The present study found no Type IV LRV anomaly in the donors studied. Conclusion Understanding the rare LRV anomalies and variations is essential as it improves the understanding of clinical events. A pre-operative computed tomography (CT) scan is vital to ensure the safety of any surgical procedure conducted in the retroperitoneal region and to avert possible fatalities and hemorrhage during renal surgeries.