The Significance of the Circumaortic Left Renal Vein and Other Venous Variations in Laparoscopic Living Donor Nephrectomies

Abstract Among the several vascular variation those concerning the venous system of the kidneys show the most significant variability. They often play an important role when it comes to choosing the kidney to be removed for transplantation. Based on our prior studies, we have surveyed these variations. When performing a laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy owing to the limited field of vision and the restricted possibilities for preparation, preoperative radiologic planning is of utmost importance. We evaluated 55 donors who underwent laparoscopic nephrectomies using the 16-section multidetector-row computed tomography angiography. Among the donors who underwent surgeries we observed circumaortic veins (CAV) in three cases, retroaortic veins in 6 cases, multiple renal veins in 10 cases, and a lumbar vein draining into the left renal vein (RV) in 30 cases. In the 2 cases wherein CAVs were discovered, the team decided to use the other kidney. In 1 case, due to a short right RV, we chose the left kidney. The complex development of the CAV that is sometimes difficult to reconstruct in 3D poses a challenge for both the radiologist and the surgeon.