Find in Library

Renal artery entrapment by the diaphragmatic crus is a very infrequent cause of renovascular hypertension. Renal arteriography confirms a 50% reduction in diameter (stenosis) of the renal artery entrapped by the diaphragmatic crus. During routine dissection for undergraduates in an adult male cadaver the extrinsic compression of renal artery was observed on right side. Crus of the diaphragm were passing anterior to renal artery causing compression of renal artery. On left side it was normal. It is important to detect the aetiology of renal artery stenosis because correct diagnosis of renal artery entrapment is difficult but crucial. The investigations rely on a high index of suspicion and include Doppler ultrasound and spiral computed tomography angiography, which permits the visualization of the diaphragm and its relationships with the aorta. This pathology unlike common renal artery stenosis, requires surgical decompression and sometimes aortorenal bypass graft.