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The kidney is surrounded by tough fibrous tissue, the renal capsule, which is itself surrounded by perirenal fat, renal fascia, and pararenal fat. The anterior (front) surface of these tissues is the peritoneum, while the posterior (rear) surface is the transversalis fascia. The superior pole of the right kidney is adjacent to the liver.
[citation needed] A large "staghorn" kidney stone may block all or part of the renal pelvis. The size of the renal pelvis plays a major role in the grading of hydronephrosis . Normally, the anteroposterior diameter of the renal pelvis is less than 4 mm in fetuses up to 32 weeks of gestational age and 7 mm afterwards. [ 2 ]
The renal calyces (sg. calyx) are conduits in the kidney through which urine passes. The minor calyces form a cup-shaped drain around the apex of the renal pyramids.Urine formed in the kidney passes through a renal papilla at the apex into the minor calyx; four or five minor calyces converge to form a major calyx through which urine passes into the renal pelvis (which in turn drains urine out ...
It passes through the angle formed by the abdominal aorta (situated posteriorly), and superior mesenteric artery (situated anteriorly) (increased acuteness of this angle may lead to the left renal vein being "pinched" between the two arteries, with the resulting compression impairng blood flow through the vein, a condition known as nutcracker ...
From anterior to posterior, the renal vein exits, the renal artery enters, and the renal pelvis exits the kidney. On the left hand side the hilum is located at the L1 vertebral level and the right kidney at level L1-2. The lower border of the kidneys is usually alongside L3.
The renal lobe is a portion of a kidney consisting of a renal pyramid and the renal cortex above it. [1] In humans, on average there are 7 to 18 renal lobes. [medical citation needed] It is visible without a microscope, though it is easier to see in humans than in other animals.
The kidney is divided into parenchyma and renal sinus. The renal sinus is hyperechoic and is composed of calyces, the renal pelvis, fat and the major intrarenal vessels. In the normal kidney, the urinary collecting system in the renal sinus is not visible, but it creates a heteroechoic appearance with the interposed fat and vessels.
There are two poles in the renal corpuscle, a vascular pole and a tubular pole. [4] The vascular pole is a location of the glomerulus. At the vascular pole, the afferent arterioles and efferent arterioles enter and leave the glomerulus in the Bowman's capsule. The tubular pole is at the other end opposite to the vascular pole.