Edit page | Page history | Printable version

Supernumerary kidney

A kidney, in addition to the two usually present, developed from the splitting of the nephrogenic blastema or from a separate metanephric blastema, into which a partial or complete reduplication of the ureteral stalk enters to form a separate, capsulated kidney; in some cases, the separation of the reduplicated organ is incomplete.

If there is only a partial separation of the duplicated kidneys, there is a greater risk of urinary tract infections and kidney stones.