92 - When Embryology Meets the Clinical: The Case of the Kidney with 5 Ureters

Poster Board Number: 92
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Abstract Body : Anatomical anomalies have their origin in embryology and quite often they have very little effect on the person even when they become adults or enter senescence. In this case, a 72-year-old female cadaver had a kidney with 5 ureters. We know that duplication of ureters is relatively uncommon but has been reported in many instances. The reports of duplication usually come to light because complications, such as obstruction or urinary incontinence, arise. Triplication of ureters is a rarer finding but there are multiple case reports all with similar complications. There have been very few reports in the literature of one patient or cadaver having a kidney with five (5) ureters. The case report, “Five Ureters: A Case Report” by C. Peterson and M.L. Silbiger, was published in The Journal of Urology in 1968. Documentation of five (5) ureters is a very rare occurrence and worth documenting. In this case, there is a 72-year-old female cadaver with her left kidney projecting 5 ureters to later combine to form a single ureter. On gross examination, the left-sided kidney showed no apparent pathology and was normal sized. The right-sided kidney was anatomically normal with one ureter, showed no apparent pathology, and was normal in size. Embryologically and histologically, the ureters seem to be enlarged major calyces that did not come together to form the renal pelvis at the 6th to 7th week of development. Due to the scarcity of reports on this type of anomaly in the literature, one goal of presenting this anomaly is to generate discussion and investigate if anyone else has seen or known about this anomaly. It would also help to evaluate any possible clinical implications.

Peterson, C., & Silbiger, M. L. (1968, August 1). Five ureters: A case report. The Journal of Urology. Retrieved January 18, 2023, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022534717624959