Thoracic renal artery: a rare case of the renal artery originating from the thoracic aorta and literature review

We report a very rare case of the right renal artery originating from the thoracic aorta. A 37-year-old man visited our hospital for follow-up regarding a gallbladder polyp that had been detected incidentally via ultrasonography as part of a clinical survey. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed incidentally that the right renal artery originated from the thoracic aorta at the level of the 11th thoracic vertebra. No excess right renal artery was found arising from the abdominal aorta, and a normal left renal artery was observed. Although this anomaly is very rare, urological and thoracic surgeons should be aware of this condition, in order to provide appropriate surgical interventions.