Physiological Anatomy of the Kidney
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| Kidney |
General Organization of the kidneys and Urinary Tract ..
The two kidneys lie on the posterior wall of the abdomen,
outside the peritoneal cavity . Each kidney of the adult human weights about
150gm and is about the size of a
clenched first. The medial side of each kidney contains an inverted region
called the hilum through which pass the renal artery and vein, lymphatic’s ,
nerve supply and ureter that carries the final urine from the kidney to the
bladder, where it is stored until emptied,. If the kidney is bisected from top
to bottom the two major regions that can be visualized are the outer cortex and
the inner region referred to as the medulla.
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| Kidney |
The medulla of the kidney is divided into multiple cone shaped masses of
tissue called renal pyramids. The base of each pyramid originates at the border
between the cortex and medulla as well as terminates in the papilla which
projects into the space of the renal pelvis, a funnel-shaped continuation of
the upper end of the ureter. The outer
border of the pelvis is divided into open
ended pouches called major calices that
extend downward and divide into minor calices , which collect urine from the
tubules of each papilla. The walls of the calices pelvis and ureter contain
contain contractile elements that propel
the urine toward the bladder where urine is stored until it is emptied by micturition.
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