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The vasa recta of the kidney, (vasa recta renis) are the straight arterioles, and the straight venules of the kidney, – a series of blood vessels in the blood supply of the kidney that enter the medulla as the straight arterioles, and leave the medulla to ascend to the cortex as the straight venules.
Vasa recta are straight arteries arising from arterial arcades (anastomoses of the jejunal and ileal arteries, branches of superior mesenteric artery) in the mesentery of the jejunum and ileum that supply the jejunum and ileum. [1] The vasa recta of the jejunum are long and few, compared to the ileum where they are numerous and short.
The descending vasa recta, ascending vasa recta vessels, and the loop of Henle together form the countercurrent system of the kidney. In the afferent arteriole, blood is supplied at high pressure, which promotes filtration, and in the efferent arteriole, it is at low pressure, which promotes reabsorption .
The vasa recta have a similar loop shape so that the gradient does not dissipate into the plasma. [citation needed] The mechanism of counter current multiplication works together with the vasa recta's counter current exchange to prevent the wash out of salts and maintain a high osmolarity at the inner medulla. [citation needed]
These structures include the vasa rectae (both spuria and vera), the venulae rectae, the medullary capillary plexus, the loop of Henle, and the collecting tubule. [1] The renal medulla is hypertonic to the filtrate in the nephron and aids in the reabsorption of water. Blood is filtered in the glomerulus by solute size.
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.
The circulatory system uses the channel of blood vessels to deliver blood to all parts of the body. This is a result of the left and right sides of the heart working together to allow blood to flow continuously to the lungs and other parts of the body. Oxygen-poor blood enters the right side of the heart through two large veins.
One or two accessory renal arteries are frequently found, especially on the left side since they usually arise from the aorta, and may come off above (more common) or below the main artery. Instead of entering the kidney at the hilus, they usually pierce the upper or lower part of the organ.