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Image showing the human trunk with positions of the organs. The kidneys are at the vertebral level of T12 to L3.. In humans, the kidneys are located high in the abdominal cavity, one on each side of the spine, and lie in a retroperitoneal position at a slightly oblique angle. [9]
The kidneys in mammals are usually bean-shaped [4] or externally lobulated. [5] They are located behind the peritoneum (retroperitoneally) [6] on the back wall of the body. [7] The typical mammalian kidney consists of a renal capsule, a peripheral cortex, an internal medulla, one or more renal calyces, and a renal pelvis. [7]
The urinary system refers to the structures that produce and transport urine to the point of excretion. In the human urinary system there are two kidneys that are located between the dorsal body wall and parietal peritoneum on both the left and right sides. The formation of urine begins within the functional unit of the kidney, the nephrons.
The nephrons of the mammalian kidneys have loops of Henle, which are the most efficient way to reabsorb water and produce concentrated urine to conserve water in the body. [12] The mammalian kidneys combine both nephrons with a short and nephrons with a long loop of Henle. [77] The medulla is divided into outer and inner regions.
The kidneys are located behind the peritoneum, in the retroperitoneum, outside the abdominal cavity. The viscera are also covered by visceral peritoneum . Between the visceral and parietal peritoneum is the peritoneal cavity , which is a potential space. [ 1 ]
The renal cortex is the outer portion of the kidney between the renal capsule and the renal medulla. [1] In the adult, it forms a continuous smooth outer zone with a number of projections (cortical columns) that extend down between the pyramids.
The collecting duct system is the final component of the kidney to influence the body's electrolyte and fluid balance. In humans, the system accounts for 4–5% of the kidney's reabsorption of sodium and 5% of the kidney's reabsorption of water. At times of extreme dehydration, over 24% of the filtered water may be reabsorbed in the collecting ...
The nephron is the functional unit of the kidney. [3] This means that each separate nephron is where the main work of the kidney is performed. A nephron is made of two parts: a renal corpuscle, which is the initial filtering component, and; a renal tubule that processes and carries away the filtered fluid. [4]: 1024