Morphological and clinical aspects of the occurrence of accessory (multiple) renal arteries

Renal vascularization variants vastly differ between individuals due to the very complex embryogenesis of the kidneys. Moreover, each variant may have implications for clinical and surgical interventions. The number of operating procedures continues to grow, and includes renal transplants, aneurysmorrhaphy and other vascular reconstructions. In any surgical technique, unawareness of the presence of multiple renal arteries may result in a fatal outcome, especially if laparoscopic methods are used. The aim of this review is to comprehensively identify the variation within multiple renal arteries and to highlight the connections between the presence of accessory renal arteries and the coexistence of other variants of vascularization. Another aim is to determine the potential clinical implications of the presence of accessory renal arteries. This study is of particular importance for surgeons, intervention radiologists, nephrologists and vascular surgeons.