Renal Artery Morphogenesis Rediscovered from 3D Reconstructions of Human Embryos

During human morphogenesis, the kidneys derive from metanephros during Carnegie stages 14-23. Pronephros and mesonephros develop first and gradually, leading to urinary tract formation. The renal angiogenesis first described in 1912 by Felix using the “ladder bar” model does not explain all of the known anatomical variations of the renal arteries in humans. This theory, currently the most widespread and taught, suggests that the metanephros ascends along mesonephrotic arteries. The objective of this study was to study the morphogenesis of human metanephros and its vascularization through three-dimensional reconstructions of human embryos.