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[2] [3] They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about 12 centimetres (4 + 1 ⁄ 2 inches) in length. [4] [5] They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; blood exits into the paired renal veins. Each kidney is attached to a ureter, a tube that carries excreted urine to the bladder.
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.
Due to the right-ward displacement of the inferior vena cava from the midline, the left renal vein is some 3 times longer than the right one (~7.5 cm and ~2.5 cm, respectively). [ 1 ] The renal vein divides into 4 divisions upon entering the kidney: [ contradictory ] [ citation needed ]
The renal pelvis is the location of several kinds of kidney cancer and is affected by infection in pyelonephritis. [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.
Transverse section, showing the relations of the capsule of the kidney. (Peritoneum is labeled at center right.) Sagittal section through posterior abdominal wall, showing the relations of the capsule of the kidney (pararenal fat labeled as paranephric body center left) Perirenal space. It is also called the perinephric space.
The renal circulation supplies the blood to the kidneys via the renal arteries, left and right, which branch directly from the abdominal aorta. Despite their relatively small size, the kidneys receive approximately 20% of the cardiac output. [1]
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] Although the calyces or renal pelvis may be absent in some species. [7]
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.