Bilateral triple renal arteries.

Knowledge of the variations of the renal artery has grown in importance with increasing numbers of renal transplants, vascular reconstructions and various surgical and radiologic techniques being performed in recent years. We report the presence of bilateral triple renal arteries, discovered on routine dissection of a male cadaver. On the right side, one additional renal artery originated from the abdominal aorta (distributed to superior pole of the kidney) and one other originated from the right common iliac artery (distributed to lower pole of the kidney). On the left side, both additional renal arteries originated from the abdominal aorta. Our observation has been compared with variations described in the literature and their clinical importance has been emphasized.

The double deep gluteal muscles.

During routine dissections on a 65-year-old male cadaver, we encountered double piriformis, double gemelli superior and inferior, double quadratus femoris muscles in the left gluteal region. The sciatic nerve passed between the lower piriformis and the upper superior gemelli muscles infrapiriform foramen as usual. No other variation was found in the region. This rare variation may be of importance in the radiology and surgery of this region.

Frequency in the anomalous origin of the left main coronary artery with angiography in a Turkish population.

We estimated the frequency of anatomic variations in origin of the left coronary artery in a Turkish population by analyzing the angiographic data of 10,042 consecutive adult patients undergoing coronary angiography. Among 10,042 adult patients, 5 (0.04%) patients (4 men and 1 woman, age range 40-74, median 58 years old) had anomalous origin of the left main coronary artery. The left main coronary artery arose from the right coronary sinus of Valsalva in 2 (0.019%) patients (both of them had a retro-aortic course), from above the left coronary sinus of Valsalva in 2 (0.019%) patients, and from above the non-coronary (posterior)-left coronary commisure in 1 (0.009%) patient. Anomalous origin of the left main coronary artery is potentially a serious condition, as it can lead to myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death under physical exertion. Therefore, greater effort for early detection and surgical repair of this anomaly are warranted. The angiographic recognition of anomalous origin of this vessel may prove useful for physicians dealing with diagnosis and treatment of anomalies of the left main coronary artery.

Variants in origin of the left circumflex coronary artery with angiography.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the anatomic variations in the origin of the left circumflex coronary artery in a Turkish population. METHOD: This study was carried out at the Sani Konukoklu Medical Center, Gaziantep, Turkey, during the period January 1999 through to May 2001. The angiographic data of 10,042 consecutive adult patients who underwent coronary angiography was analyzed for anomalous origin of the left circumflex coronary artery. RESULTS: Among 10,042 adults patients, 27 (0.3%) had anomalous origin of the left circumflex coronary artery. The left circumflex coronary artery arose from the left coronary sinus of valsalva in 15 (55.5%) patients, from the right coronary sinus of valsalva in 7 (25.9%) patients, and from the proximal part of the right coronary artery in 8 (29.6%) patients. CONCLUSION: The anomalous origin of the left circumflex coronary artery may not always be benign. Therefore, recognition of this anomaly is mandatory to prevent the risk of infarction or sudden death. Special surgical considerations must be made when performing valvular replacement in patients with anomalous left circumflex coronary artery.