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The venous drainage of the kidney large mirrors its arterial supply, except that there are no segmental veins. [4] The stellate veins arise from the capillaries, then drain successively through interlobular veins and interlobar veins until these converge from across the kidney to form the renal vein for that kidney.
This illustration demonstrates the normal kidney physiology, including the Proximal Convoluted Tubule (PCT), Loop of Henle, and Distal Convoluted Tubule (DCT). It also includes illustrations showing where some types of diuretics act, and what they do. Renal physiology (Latin renes, "kidneys") is the study of the physiology of the kidney.
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
The Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is regarded as the best overall measure of the kidney's ability to carry out these numerous functions. An estimate of the GFR is used clinically to determine the degree of kidney impairment and to track the progression of the disease. The GFR, however, does not reveal the source of the kidney disease.
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 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.
The unipapillary kidney with a single renal pyramid is the simplest type of kidney in mammals, from which the more structurally complex kidneys are believed to have evolved. [17] [6] [18] Differences in kidney structure are the result of adaptations during evolution to variations in body mass and habitats (in particular, aridity) between species.
Urology addresses diseases of kidney (and urinary tract) anatomy: these include cancer, renal cysts, kidney stones and ureteral stones, and urinary tract obstruction. [ 7 ] The word “ renal ” is an adjective meaning “relating to the kidneys”, and its roots are French or late Latin.