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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 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.
The asymmetry within the abdominal cavity, caused by the position of the liver, typically results in the right kidney being slightly lower and smaller than the left, and being placed slightly more to the middle than the left kidney. [10] [11] [12] The left kidney is approximately at the vertebral level T12 to L3, [13] and
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.
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 right kidney is often found more caudally and is slimmer than the left kidney, which may have a so-called dromedary hump due to its proximity to the spleen. The kidney is surrounded by a capsule separating the kidney from the echogenic perirenal fat, which is seen as a thin linear structure.
Diagram outlining movement of ions in nephron, with the collecting ducts on the right. 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 ...
At the top, the renal corpuscle containing the glomerulus. The filtered blood exits into the renal tubule as filtrate, at right. At left, blood flows from the afferent arteriole (red), enters into the renal corpuscle and is filtered in the glomerulus; blood flows out of the efferent arteriole (blue).