A study of Gonadal Arteries in 30 Adult Human cadavers

Abstract

The gonadal arteries normally arise from the abdominal aorta. There are reports about the variant origin of these arteries. In the present study, we investigated the origin and course of the gonadal arteries and clinical implications of variant gonadal arteries are discussed. Out of 60 dissections, in 55 cases the gonadal artery was seen arising from abdominal aorta. In the remaining 5 cases, gonadal artery of renal origin was present in 3 cases, two on right and one on left side and of middle suprarenal origin was present in 2 cases on the left side. The present study agreed with the text book account i.e. right testicular artery passing anterior to inferior vena cava in majority of the cases i.e. 27 (90%). In the remaining 3 cases (10%), the right testicular artery was posterior to inferior vena cava. In our study, out of a total of 60 dissections, 57 dissections confirmed to type I pattern (95%). In 2 cases (3.3%) (11 M, 16 M) a type II pattern was seen on the right side. In 1 case (1.7%) (20 M), the left testicular artery arose directly from the aorta and arched over the renal vein giving a type III pattern. Awareness of variations of the testicular arteries such as those presented here becomes important during surgical procedures like varicocele and undescended testes. The variations described here are unique and provide significant information to surgeons dissecting the abdominal cavity.

Bilateral double testicular arteries: a case report and review of the literature. Potential embryological and surgical considerations

“…In particular, they noticed the right TA originated from the ipsilateral renal artery (6%), the left TA from the left renal artery (4%), 2 right TAs from the right renal artery (1%), 2 TAs on both sides from the renal arteries (1%), 1 TA stems from both the aorta and a renal artery (< 1%), 2 TAs on one side 1 from renal artery and 1 from aorta (< 1%) and 2 left TAs from the left renal artery (< 1%). Adachi [2] detected an incidence of 16.33% for the TAs originated from the renal artery, with the same incidence being 10% [10], 16.1% [35], 3% [3], 14.6% [29], 5.5% [11], 14% [40] and 10% [47].…”

“…Cauldwell and Anson [10] found the TA's mean vertebral level of origin at the intervertebral disc between second and third lumbar vertebra (74%) on the right side and at the lower third of second lumbar vertebra (80%) on the left side. Wadhwa and Sandeep [47] noted that the level of TA's origin was at the body of second lumbar vertebra (76%) on the right side and at the lower third of third lumbar vertebra (72%) on the left side. As high origin of TA is considered the artery's origin above the main renal artery or above the second lumbar vertebra.…”

“…TA may originate in some instances from other sources than the abdominal aorta and the renal and accessory renal arteries, such as middle suprarenal, lumbar, common iliac, internal iliac, celiac trunk, superior mesenteric, inferior phrenic, inferior epigastric artery [1,22,25,27,47]. TA could be originated or forming a common trunk, or providing as branch the inferior suprarenal artery [14,18,33,34].…”

“…Occasionally, thus in 6% [29], or 10% [47] or 20% [22] the right TA is located posterior to the inferior vena cava. Notkovich [29] referred to the fact that when TA arises from the abdominal aorta above the level of the renal vein, then the right TA always passes posterior to the inferior vena cava.…”

“…These aberrancies display significance from a clinical viewpoint since the TA's blood flow was found to be significantly decreased in men with varicocele [46]. Although many cases of double TAs have been documented in the literature [7,11,32,47], the bilateral presence of double TAs is more rarely detected [22,37]. In our study, we report on a very rare complex of TAs variants, such as bilateral double TAs with co-existence of TA's high origin from the aorta on the left side and TA's aberrant origin from the renal artery on the right side.…”