Eur J Anat, 17 (4): 262-264 (2013)

Variant left testicular artery from the superior polar artery and triple right renal arteries: a case report

Rajalakshmi Rai¹, Anu V. Ranade², Latha V. Prabhu¹ and Ashwin R. Rai¹

¹Department of Anatomy, Kasturba Medical College Mangalore, Manipal University, India and ²Department of Anatomy, Gulf Medical University, United Arab Emirates

ABSTRACT Testicular arteries are the branches of the abdominal aorta below the level of origin of renal arteries. They may originate at a higher or a lower level from the aorta. However, when they originate from some other artery, they become surgically significant, since the ligature of the main artery giving rise to the testicular artery might lead to testicular atrophy. The present report is about the origin of the left testicular artery from the superior polar artery, which is a branch directly from the abdominal aorta above the renal artery. With the advent of novel surgical techniques, prior knowledge of rare variation in the testicular arteries becomes significantly important during surgery for renal transplant procedures, as well as for undescended testis or varicocele.

Keywords: testicular artery, variations, superior polar artery, accessory renal artery, varicocele