A pelvic kidney, also known as an ectopic kidney, is a normal

kidney The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; blo ...

located in the

pelvis The pelvis (plural pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also called bony pelvis, or pelvic skeleton). The ...

, instead of the

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the to ...

. This occurs when a kidney does not ascend from its original location in the pelvis to its final location during

prenatal development Prenatal development () includes the development of the embryo and of the fetus during a viviparous animal's gestation. Prenatal development starts with fertilization, in the germinal stage of embryonic development, and continues in fetal deve ...

. They usually present no

symptoms Signs and symptoms are the observed or detectable signs, and experienced symptoms of an illness, injury, or condition. A sign for example may be a higher or lower temperature than normal, raised or lowered blood pressure or an abnormality showi ...

, but can increase risk of certain illnesses and healthcare problems.

Signs and symptoms

Often, a person with a pelvic kidney will go through their whole life not even knowing they have a pelvic kidney.

Complications

Typically, the kidney functions normally despite being in the wrong location. However, it can develop complications. A pelvic kidney can make it more difficult to diagnose kidney infections and kidney cancer. The

renal artery The renal arteries are paired arteries that supply the kidneys with blood. Each is directed across the crus of the diaphragm, so as to form nearly a right angle. The renal arteries carry a large portion of total blood flow to the kidneys. Up to ...

and the renal vein may be stretched if they remain attached to the normal locations on the

abdominal aorta In human anatomy, the abdominal aorta is the largest artery in the abdominal cavity. As part of the aorta, it is a direct continuation of the descending aorta (of the thorax). Structure The abdominal aorta begins at the level of the diaphr ...

and the

inferior vena cava The inferior vena cava is a large vein that carries the deoxygenated blood from the lower and middle body into the right atrium of the heart. It is formed by the joining of the right and the left common iliac veins, usually at the level of th ...

, which can lead to illness.

Causes

In the development of the

human embryo Human embryonic development, or human embryogenesis, is the development and formation of the human embryo. It is characterised by the processes of cell division and cellular differentiation of the embryo that occurs during the early stages of d ...

, the metanephric kidneys fail to ascend and usually remain at the brim of the

. This clinical scenario may present no signs or symptoms and the kidneys may function normally. It is associated at times with Mullerian dysgenesis.

Diagnosis

A pelvic kidney is discovered on newborn kidney ultrasound screening. It may also be detected if complications arise later in life for this or a completely different reason, and during investigations.

Epidemiology

Between 1 in 2,200 and 1 in 3,000 people may have a pelvic kidney.

History

A pelvic kidney is also known as an ectopic kidney.

References

Congenital disorders of urinary system {{genitourinary-stub