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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
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 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 urinary system refers to the structures that produce and transport urine to the point of excretion. In the human urinary system there are two kidneys that are located between the dorsal body wall and parietal peritoneum on both the left and right sides. The formation of urine begins within the functional unit of the kidney, the nephrons.
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]
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. [1]
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]
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.