Estimating Lengths of Renal Arteries and Infrarenal Aorta on Contrast CT Scans- A Retrospective Study

Introduction: Anatomy of renal arteries and length of infrarenal aorta play a vital role in various renal and aortic vascular interventions and surgical procedures including renal transplantation. Aim: To estimate mean lengths of renal arteries, the vertical distance between origins of both renal arteries, infrarenal aortic lengths, and presence of accessory renal arteries on contrast Computed Tomography (CT) scans. Materials and Methods: A retrospective hospital-based study was conducted at KVG Medical College and Hospital, Sullia, Karnataka, India in which contrast enhanced CT scans of the abdomen was performed between October and December 2021. The CT image datasets of 61 individuals were evaluated in the study, of which 45 were males and 16 were females. The arterial phase images were anonymised and loaded in the curved Multiplanar Reformatted (MPR) algorithm. The lengths of both Renal Arteries (RA), vertical distance between origins of both Renal Arteries (RAD), infrarenal Aortic Lengths (AL), and presence of accessory renal arteries were noted. For statistical analysis Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 22.0 was used and Pearson’s Chi-square test and independent t-test were used for calculation. Results: The mean age of the participants was 50.7±7.5 years. Mean right RA was 3.75±1.25 cm and left RA was 2.89±0.98 cm. Right RA was significantly longer than left RA (p=0.019). Mean RAD was 0.61 cm. In 35 cases of (57%) right RA originated at a higher level than the left RA. The mean AL was 9.68±1.18 cm. Accessory renal arteries were seen in nine of cases (14.8%). Conclusion: The mean measurements obtained can provide vital guidance during renal and aortic surgeries and vascular interventions.