Abstract: Objective   To observe the renal artery variation in Tibetan adults with multi-slice spiral CT (MSCT), and so as to provide anatomical data for clinical renal surgery.   Methods   The imaging data and clinical data of 1218 Tibetan patients who received whole-abdominal MSCT enhanced examination were retrospectively collected. By reading the MSCT images, the presence of accessory renal artery (ARA) and early branching of renal artery (EBRA) were determined and counted. Statistical analysis was conducted according to gender and side.   Results   ARA was found in 397 patients and the detection rate was 32.59% (95%CI 29.9%-35.22%). There were 247 males with a detection rate of 34.59% (95% CI 32.10%-38.08%) and 150 females with a detection rate of 29.76% (95% CI 25.77%～33.75%). There was no statistical  difference in detection rate between males and females (Z=-1.771, P=0.077). There were 519 ARAs in 397 patients, 277 in the right kidney and 242 in the left kidney. The mean diameter of the right and left ARA were (0.3±0.89) cm and (0.3±0.9) cm, respectively. There was no significant difference in ARA diameter between two kidneys (t=0.045, P=0.964). EBRA was found in 315 patients and the detection rate was 25.86% (95%CI 23.40%-28.32%). There were 358 EBRA in 315 patients, 161 in the right kidney and 197 in the left kidney. Hilum was the most common location where ARA and EBRA entered the kidney, accounting for 50.29% and 55.87%, respectively.    Conclusions   The renal artery variation accounts for a certain proportion in Tibetan population. It is of great significance to identify the variation of renal artery anatomy before operation for renal surgery, renal transplantation and interventional surgery.

Key words: Renal artery,  ,  ,  , Variation of renal artery,  ,  ,  , Tomography, X-ray computed