L.49 Kidney Structure Flashcards
What type of organs are the kidneys?
Excretory organs
Which bodily fluid do the kidneys process?
Blood
How do the kidneys remove metabolic waste?
Via urine.
What 2 components do the kidneys help maintain levels of?
fluid and electrolyte
Kidneys (produce urine)
Travels via _______________ to
Bladder (stores urine)
Excreted via _______________
Ureters
Urethra
Kidneys (produce urine)
Travels via ureters to
Bladder (stores urine)
Excreted via urethra
Name the kinds of pads which surround the kidneys
Renal fat pads
Where does the renal artery arise from?
The abdominal aorta branches to create the renal artery.
Where does the renal vein arise from?
The inferior vena cava branches to create the renal vein.
What is the peritoneum?
The layer which separates the peritoneal cavity (containing digestive organs) from the kidneys and spine.
What are the 3 main parts which make up the kidney?
- Cortex
- Medulla
- Pelvis
Give a description of the kidney cortex.
The cortex contains 85% of all kidney tubules (nephrons).
Give a description of the kidney medulla
Concentrates urine to prevent excess fluid loss.
Give a description of the kidney pelvis.
Collection area of urine to be funnelled into the ureter.
Describe the level of vascularisation of the kidneys.
Highly vascularised.
How much blood do the kidneys process per minute?
1.2L per minute
What is the basic functional unit of the kidney?
Nephron
Name the 2 types of nephrons.
Cortical nephrons
Juxtamedullary nephrons
Give a feature of cortical nephrons
Short loop of henle
Give a feature of juxtamedullary nephrons
Long loop of henle
What is the function of the renal corpuscle?
Filtration and removal
What is the function of the renal tubule?
Reabsorption and secretion
Name the 2 components of the renal corpuscle
Glomerulus
Bowman’s capsule
Name the 4 components of the renal tubule
Proximal convoluted tubule
Loop of Henle
Distal Convoluted tubule
Collecting duct
Describe the structure of the glomerulus
A single layer of endothelial cells
What does the glomerulus allow rapid filtration of?
Blood plasma filtration
Which structure surrounds the glomerulus?
The bowman’s capsule
Name the 2 layers which make up the bowman’s capsule
Parietal wall (outer layer) Visceral wall (inner layer)
What is the visceral layer made up of?
Specialised epithelium called podocytes
Describe the structure of podocytes
Podocytes have long, branched processes called pedicels. These wrap around glomerular capillaries
Name the 3 components which make up the filtration barrier.
- Glomerular endothelium
- Basement membrane
- Pedicels
What does/doesn’t the filtration barrier allow the passage of?
It allows the filtration of small molecules, eg. water
It does not allow larger molecules, eg. proteins to pass through
