Kidneys, Ureters, and Suprarenal Glands

Question 1

palpation of kidneys

Answer 1

press the flank (side of trunk b/w 11th and 12th ribs and the iliac crest) anteriorly w/ one hand while palpating deeply at the costal margin with the other - left kidney usually not palpable

Question 2

periphrenic abcess

Answer 2

pus around the kidney

Question 3

ectopic kidney

Answer 3

congenital misplaced kidney

Question 4

nephroptosis

Answer 4

dropped kidney - ureter of normal length that has loose coiling or kinks b/c the distance to the bladder has been reduced

Question 5

what are reasons why transplanted kidneys are placed in one specific spot? what is that spot?

Answer 5

iliac fossa of greater pelvis

• lack of inferior support for kidneys in the lumbar region
• availability of major blood vessels
• convenient access to nearby bladder

Question 6

what is renal transplantation used to treat?

Answer 6

chronic renal failure

Question 7

how can you find renal cysts?

Answer 7

ultrasound examinations

Question 8

polycystic kidney disease

Answer 8

kidneys markedly enlarged and distorted by cysts - autosomal dominant, important cause of renal failure

Question 9

accessory renal vessels

Answer 9

failure of embryonic vessels to degenerate

Question 10

polar arteries

Answer 10

accessory arteries that enter/exit the poles of the kidney

Question 11

what might an inferior polar artery obstruct?

Answer 11

ureter

Question 12

renal vein entrapment syndrome

Answer 12

mesoaortic compression of the left renal vein - aka nutcracker syndrome

• hematuria, proteinuria
• abdominal pain
• nausea and vomiting
• left testicular pain in men

Question 13

bifid renal pelvis and ureter

Answer 13

result from division of the ureteric bud (metanephric diverticulum), the primordium of the renal pelvis and ureter

Question 14

retrocaval ureter

Answer 14

leaves kidney and passes posterior to the IVC - rare

Question 15

horseshoe kidney

Answer 15

inferior poles of the kidneys fuse together - U-shaped kidney that lies at level of L3-L5 b/c root of the interior mesenteric artery prevented normal relocation of kidneys

Question 16

ectopic pelvic kidney

Answer 16

if am embryonic kidney fails to enter the abdomen and lies anterior to the sacrum

Question 17

blood supply to pelvic kidneys

Answer 17

from aortic bifurcation or a common iliac artery

Question 18

calculi

Answer 18

pebbles composed of salts of inorganic or organic acids or of other materials

Question 19

renal calculus

Answer 19

kidney stone - may pass from kidney into renal pelvis and then to ureter

Question 20

ureteric colic

Answer 20

severe intermittent pain of ureter

Question 21

referred pain from kidney stones

Answer 21

from loin to groin - depending on where stone is as it travels

Question 22

nephroscope

Answer 22

used to observe and remove ureteric calculi

-inserted through a small incision

Question 23

lithotripsy

Answer 23

focuses a shockwave through the body that breaks the calculus into small fragments that pass with the urine