Abstract: Objective　To explore the application value of 256-slice spiral CT angiography (CTA) in displaying the anatomical structure of the accessory renal artery.　Methods　The data of 115 patients performed CT angiography of abdominal artery were collected. The number of branches, its diameter, length and location of the accessory renal artery were recorded. The differences of the anatomical characteristics of the accessory renal artery were compared.　Results　There were Ⅰ type branch, Ⅱtype  branch andⅣ type  branch in the collected accessory renal artery. There was statistical difference in the incidence of bilateral accessory renal artery, and the incidence of the left side was higher than that of the right side. There was statistical difference in the incidence of accessory renal artery between male and female, while the incidence of male was higher than that of female. There was no statistical difference in the diameter of accessory renal artery between the sexes and sides. There was significant difference between the upper and lower poles when entering the kidney, and the upper pole entering the kidney was more common.　Conclusions　256-slice spiral CT can clearly and accurately display the anatomical features of accessory renal artery, which can provide a more simple and effective examination for clinical diagnosis.

Key words: Renal artery, 　Accessory renal artery, 　CT angiography, 　256-Slice spiral CT