3D Printed Horseshoe Kidney

3D Printed Horseshoe Kidney Clinical History This specimen was found during a routine post-mortem of a 56-year-old male who died of rheumatic heart disease. PathologyThe kidney is 12 cm in length and the two parts are fused at the lower pole forming this horseshoe-like shape. The ureters can be seen emerging from the hilum on the anterior aspect of the 3D print. The kidney is bisected in the horizontal plane which is evident on the posterior aspect. There is persistent foetal lobulation. The renal pelvis is characteristically antero-medial positioned with the ureters travelling anterior to the fused lower poles or isthmus of the kidney. Further InformationHorseshoe kidneys are the commonest renal developmental abnormality. This anomaly is twice as common in males as in females. They are found in about 1 in 500 to 1000 post-mortem examinations. Most cases are sporadic but may be associated with some chromosomal anomalies, such as those resulting in Downs