Abstract:
Thoracic kidney is a rare type of renal ectopia. Patients
with thoracic kidneys are usually asymptomatic and the
condition is usually discovered incidentally during radiological
evaluation for other conditions or during
thoracic surgery. An intravenous urography done for a
thirty-eight year old man referred on account of a
seemingly small right kidney on an abdominal ultrasound
scan, showed a normal right kidney and a left
thoracic kidney. Thoracic kidney is a rare but an important
cause of a thoracic ‘mass’ or ‘elevated hemi
diaphragm’. It should be considered in the evaluation
of such patients to prevent unnecessary surgical interventions
and image guided biopsies.