The essentials
Against the back wall of the abdomen, one each side of the spine, the right slightly lower.
- Size
- About 10–12 cm long each
- Weight
- 120 to 170 g each
- Daily
- Filters roughly 180 L of fluid
- Location
- Either side of the spine, below the ribs
- Blood supply
- Renal arteries
- Function
- Filters blood and forms urine
Read all anatomy notes · 11
Right kidney
Sits slightly lower than the left, pushed down by the liver.
Left kidney
Located to the left of the spine, usually slightly higher than the right kidney.
Renal pelvis
Collects urine before it drains into the ureter.
Renal arteries
Carry blood to the kidneys for filtration.
Renal veins
Return blood from the kidneys to the inferior vena cava.
Ureters
Carry urine from the renal pelves to the bladder.
Renal cortex
Outer tissue extending between the pyramids. It contains renal corpuscles, where filtration begins.
Renal pyramids
Medullary regions whose papillae drain urine into the calyces and then the renal pelvis. Their number and shape vary.
Minor calyces
Receive urine from the renal papillae.
Major calyces
Collect from several minor calyces and lead toward the renal pelvis.
Renal papillae
Tips of the pyramids projecting into the minor calyces.