Lateroconal fascia

The lateroconal fascia is the peritoneal thickening which extends anterolaterally from the adjoining merging lateral borders of the anterior and posterior perirenal fasciae.

Gross anatomy

It increases progressively in length as it ranges distally. It traverses laterally in a transverse plane as it relates to the posterolateral aspect of the colon and fuses with the lateral parietal peritoneum at which it lines the paracolic gutter .

Radiographic features

It is seen at the lateral fusion of anterior and posterior perirenal fasciae at the level of the ascending and descending colons. It can be seen in CT on axial cuts. It has a variable length and can be seen at a level just below the liver or spleen .

It is accentuated when fluid accumulates in the anterior pararenal space or posterior pararenal space. When fluid accumulates in both spaces simultaneously, it will be hard to identify .

History and etymology

Two American anatomists Edgar D Congdon and John N Edson  first named it due to its location lateral to the perirenal space, and therefore the perirenal fascia, which is also known as the cone of renal fascia as it tapers inferiorly.