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. 2022 Dec 31;55(4):525–528. doi: 10.5115/acb.21.211E

Prevalence and clinical relevance of the anatomical variations of suprarenal arteries: a review

Ananya Priya 1, Ravi Kant Narayan 2, Sanjib Kumar Ghosh 1
PMCID: PMC9747345  PMID: 36310096

In the version of this article originally published, there was an error in Table 1. “843 fetuses” should be replaced by “168 fetuses”. The corrected version of Table 1 is included below. The corrected part is underlined.

Table 1.

Incidence of variant origin of suprarenal arteries

Authors (year) Population/region No. and type of specimens Variations
Superior suprarenal arteries Middle suprarenal arteries Inferior suprarenal arteries
R L R L R L
Dobbie and Symington (1966) [16] Scotland 20 autopsies of human adults, 50 adult patients S: 100% M: 100% I: 100%
Lamarque et al. (1973) [14] France 255 total aortography, 373 selective arteriography of suprarenal gland S: 100% -

  • I: 51.5%

  • Iab: 48.5%

  • I: 44%

  • Iab: 56%
Toni et al. (1988) [15] Italy 100 abdominal angiographies

  • S: 92%

  • SCT: 5%

  • SAA: 3%

  • S: 79%

  • SAA: 16%

  • SIC: 3%

  • SCT: 2%

  • M: 91%

  • MCT: 4%

  • MIP: 3%

  • MRA: 2%

  • M: 99%

  • MCT: 1%

  • I: 96%

  • IPR: 2%

  • IAA: 2%

  • I: 95%

  • IAA: 5%
Bianchi and Ferrari (1991) [4] Argentina 50 fetuses S: 100%

  • S: 96%

  • SCT: 4%

  • M: 68%

  • MIP: 32%

  • M: 68%

  • MIP: 20%

  • MCT: 12%

  • I: 60%

  • I+IGA: 12%

  • ISPA: 4%

  • ISPA+IGA: 12%

  • IAA: 4%

  • IGA: 4%

  • IAGA: 4%

  • I: 40%

  • IAA: 24%

  • IGA: 8%

  • I+IGA: 8%

  • IAGA: 4%

  • IGA+IAGA: 4%

  • I+ISPA: 4%

  • IAA+ISPA: 4%

  • I SPA+IGA: 4%
Pityński et al. (1998) [3] Poland 40 fetuses S: 100%

  • S: 95%

  • S+SAA: 5%

  • M: 32.5%

  • MIP: 27.5%

  • M+MIP: 15%

  • MRA: 17.5%

  • MGA: 7.5%

  • M: 47.5%

  • MIP: 17.5%

  • M+MSSA: 2.5%

  • M+MIP: 22.5%

  • MRA: 7.5%

  • MGA: 2.5%

  • I: 55%

  • I+IAA: 25%

  • I+ISPA: 5%

  • I+IGA: 7.5%

  • I+IGA+IAA: 2.5%

  • I+IAA+ISPA: 2.5%

  • ISMA: 2.5%

  • I: 47.5%

  • I+IAA: 32.5%

  • I+ISPA: 2.5%

  • I+IGA: 12.5%

  • I+IGA+IAA: 10%

  • I+IGA+ISPA: 5%
Manso and DiDio (2000) [12] Brazil 30 pairs of suprarenal glands

  • S: 86.7%

  • SCT: 6.7%

  • SAA: 3.3%

  • SAA+SISA: 3.3%

  • S: 83.3%

  • SCT: 6.7%

  • SAA: 10%

  • M: 53.3%

  • MIP: 26.7%

  • MSSA: 3.3%

  • MISA: 6.7%

  • MSMA: 3.3%

  • MRA: 3.3%

  • MCT: 3.3%

  • MAA: 46.7%

  • MIP: 26.7%

  • MSSA: 10.0%

  • MISA: 6.7%

  • MSMA: 3.3%

  • MRA: 3.3%

  • MCT: 3.3%

  • MRA: 3.3%

  • I: 70%

  • IAA: 26.7%

  • IAA+ISSA: 3.3%

  • I: 50%

  • IAA: 36.7%

  • ISPA: 3.3%

  • IIPA: 3.3%

  • IGA: 6.6%
Yalçin et al. (2004) [29] Turkey 25 years old female cadaver - MCT I
Cimen et al. (2007) [30] Turkey 45 years old male cadaver - MRA M I -
Deepthinath et al. (2006) [31] South Indian 45 years old male cadaver - MRA MCT I -
Dutta (2010) [5] North Indian 68 human cadavers S: 100%

  • S: 76%

  • SAA: 18%

  • SSA: 6%

  • M: 53%

  • MARA: 18%

  • Absent: 29%

  • M: 94%

  • MARA: 6%

  • I: 76%

  • IGA: 18%

  • IAA: 6%

  • I: 59%

  • IGA: 6%

  • Absent: 35%
Oztürk et al. (2010) [24] Turkey 50 years old male cadaver Absent M IAA
Jyothsna et al. (2012) [36] South Indian 55 years old male cadaver - - - IAA
Chakravarthi (2014) [21] South Indian Middle-aged male cadaver SAA SAA M M - -
Sushma et al. (2014) [17] South Indian 20 cadavers S: 100% S: 100%

  • M: 80%

  • MRA: 10%

  • MARA: 5%

  • MIP: 5%

  • M: 90%

  • MIP: 5%

  • MCT: 5%

  • I: 90%

  • IARA: 5%

  • IIP: 5%

  • I: 90%

  • IARA: 10%
Sarkar et al. (2014) [18] Northeast India 54 years old male cadaver S SCT M Absent I I
Ahmed et al. (2015) [20] South Indian 25 adult and 50 fetal cadavers

  • S: 88%

  • Sab: 12%

  • M: 93.34%

  • Mab: 6.66%

  • I: 93.34%

  • Iab: 6.66%
Lakshmi and Dhoot (2016) [6] North Indian 15 adult human cadavers S: 100% S: 100%

  • M: 83.33%

  • MARA: 13.33%

  • MRA: 3.33%

  • M: 96.66%

  • MCT: 3.33%

  • I: 83.33%

  • IARA: 16.66%

  • I: 66.66%

  • IARA: 33.33%
Shanthakumar et al. (2016) [19] South Indian 58 years old male cadaver S - M - I IGA
Olewnik et al. (2018) [22] Poland 64 years old male cadaver SRA Absent I
Greeff et al. (2019) [27] South African 50 fetuses

  • S: 98%

  • Absent: 2%

  • S: 98%

  • Absent: 2%

  • M: 18%

  • MRA: 62%

  • Absent: 20%

  • M: 34%

  • MRA: 26%

  • Absent: 40%

  • I: 90%

  • IAA: 10%

  • I: 92%

  • IAA: 6%

  • IARA: 2%
Vinitha and Parthasarathy (2020) [37] South Indian 48 cadavers

  • S: 81.33%

  • SAA: 16.67%

  • SCT: 2%

  • M: 98%

  • Absent: 2%

  • I: 98%

  • IAA: 2%
Xu et al. (2020) [42] Chinese 168 fetuses -

  • M: 89.2%

  • Absent: 10.79%

 -
South Indiana) 147

  • S: 86.8%

  • SAA: 6.2%

  • SCT: 0.8%

  • Sab: 6.2%

  • M: 92.8%

  • Mabsent: 0.7%

  • MAB: 3.4%

  • MRA: 1%

  • MARA: 0.3%

  • MCT: 0.7%

  • MIP: 0.7%

  • I: 92.9%

  • IAA: 1%

  • IARA: 10.2%

  • IIP: 0.3%

  • Iab: 3.4%

  • IGA: 0.3%
North Indianb) 83

  • S: 90.4%

  • SAA: 7.2%

  • SSA: 2.4%

  • M: 76%

  • MARA: 11%

  • MCT: 0.4%

  • MRA: 0.4%

  • Absent: 12%

  • I: 73.5%

  • IGA: 9.7%

  • IAA: 2.4%

  • IARA: 4.7%

  • Iabsent: 9.7%
Caucasiansc) 919

  • S: 97.5%

  • SAA: 1.3%

  • SCT: 0.8%

  • SIC: 0.1%

  • SAA+SISA: 0.1%

  • S+SAA: 0.1%

  • SRA: 0.1%

  • M: 93.5%

  • Mabsent: 0.1%

  • MIP: 3.4%

  • MSSA: 0.2%

  • MISA: 0.2%

  • MSMA: 0.1%

  • MRA: 0.7%

  • MCT: 0.7%

  • M+MSSA: 0.1%

  • M+MIP: 0.8%

  • MGA: 0.2%

  • I: 57.7%

  • Iab: 35.7%

  • IIPA: 0.05%

  • IPR: 0.1%

  • IAA: 2.06%

  • I+IGA: 0.9%

  • ISPA: 0.2%

  • IGA: 0.4%

  • ISPA+IGA: 0.4%

  • IAGA: 0.2%

  • IGA+IAGA: 0.1%

  • I+ISPA: 0.3%

  • IAA+ISSA: 0.1%

  • I+IAA: 1.3%

  • I+ISSA: 0.05%

  • I+IGA+IAA: 0.2%

  • I+IAA+ISPA: 0.05%

  • I+IGA+ISPA: 0.1%
Turkishd) 3

  • S: 66.7%

  • Absent: 33.3%

  • M: 66.7%

  • MCT: 33.3%

  • MRA: 33.3%

  • I: 66.7%

  • IAA: 33.3%
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The subscript in the table is denoting the origin of the respective arteries: ab, abnormal origin; AA, abdominal aorta; CT, coeliac trunk; IC, intercostal artery; IP, inferior phrenic artery; RA, renal artery; PR, polar renal artery; GA, gonadal artery; SPA, superior polar artery; AGA, accessory gonadal artery; SMA, superior mesenteric artery; ISA, inferior suprarenal artery; SSA, superior suprarenal artery; IPA, inferior polar artery; SA, splenic artery; ARA, accessory renal artery. a)Average results for the South Indian population include Deepthinath et al. (2006) [31], Jyothsna et al. (2012) [36], Chakravarthi (2014) [21], Sushma et al. (2014) [17], Ahmed et al. (2015) [20], Shanthakumar et al. (2016) [19], Vinitha and Parthasarathy (2020) [37]. b)Average results for North Indian population include Dutta (2010) [5], Lakshmi and Dhoot (2016) [6]. c)Average results for Caucasian population include Dobbie and Symington (1966) [16], Lamarque et al. (1973) [14], Toni et al. (1988) [15], Bianchi and Ferrari (1991) [4], Pityński et al. (1998) [3], Manso and DiDio (2000) [12], Olewnik et al. (2018) [22]. d)Average results for Turkish population includes Yalçin et al. (2004) [29], Cimen et al. (2007) [30], Oztürk et al. (2010) [24]. R, right; L, left; S, normal origin of superior suprarenal artery; M, normal origin of middle suprarenal artery; I, normal origin of inferior suprarenal artery.

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