Intrathoracic Renal Ectopia: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Renal ectopy is a rare phenomenon, which its diagnosis may be delayed due to an asymptomatic condition. The ectopic kidney may even have a normal functional state; however, because of occurring kidney blockade, the risk for kidney stones and even failure may be raised. In many cases, the diagnosis is completely incidental and is based on the request of radiography and sometimes, CT scan even for other reasons. In the therapeutic approach, in cases of kidney blockage, or urine backing up to the kidney, the surgical intervention is highly recommended by excisional removing the mass. Herein, we described a case of ectopic intrathoracic kidney initially presented with mild respiratory distress that was ultimately diagnosed by CT scanning and removed surgically.