Bilateral origin of ovarian arteries from accessory renal arteries

Abstract

Ovarian arteries generally arise from the anterolateral (or lateral) aspect of the abdominal aorta caudal to the origin of the renal arteries at the level of L2 vertebra. The ovarian arteries may arise from the renal, suprarenal, inferior phrenic, superior mesenteric, lumbar, common iliac, or internal iliac arteries. This was a unique case, in which both ovarian arteries originated from 2 differently-originating bilateral accessory renal arteries. This unique variation may provide significant information to surgeons and gynecologists dissecting the abdominal cavity. The case was found in a female cadaver aged 55 years during routine dissection in the Anatomy Department, College of Medicine, University of Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2009. The subject had an average built without any abnormal external features. Both right and left ovarian arteries arose from the bilateral accessory renal arteries. Knowledge of ovarian arteries and their definitive course to the ovaries is of great interest to the anatomists, surgeons, radiologists, urologists, and gynecologists to avoid clinical complications during surgical interference, or radiological examination of this region.