Comparison of urinary tract anatomy of pirlak sheep and honamli goat kidneys by corrosion casting method

This study investigated the macroanatomy of the urinary tract of the native sheep and goat breeds, specifically focusing on the kidneys and ureters. The aim of the study was to examine the renal pelvis and the branching parts within the kidney, known as the renal calyces, to identify variations and contribute to future research in this field. For this purpose, 14 kidneys from native sheep breed, obtained from the retroperitoneal fat layer, and 14 kidneys from the goat breed were used. The corrosion casting method was applied to reveal the structures of the renal pelvis and renal calyces. It was determined that both sheep and goat kidneys had one renal pelvis, while the structures of minor calyces and major calyces were not observed. In the examination, the average volume of sheep renal pelvis was found to be 7,73 cm3, and the average volume of goat renal pelvis was 8,12 cm3. The average weight of 14 sheep kidneys was determined as 53,47 grams, while the average weight of 14 goat kidneys was 72,72 grams. There was a statistically significant correlation between kidney weight and live animal weight (p≤ 0,01). Furthermore, a statistically significant correlation was found between kidney weight and renal pelvis volume (p≤ 0,05). The average weight of goat kidneys was higher than that of sheep kidneys. In this study, the renal pelvis and weights of sheep and goat kidneys were revealed, and the differences between them were identified.