Renal Histology

Question 1

What is the cortex of the kidney?

Answer 1

the outer granular part

Question 2

What is the medulla of the kidney?

Answer 2

the inner striated part - comprised of pyramids

Question 3

What vessels mark the boundary between the cortex and the medulla?

Answer 3

arcuate vessels

Question 4

Where do the interlobular vessels project into?

Answer 4

the cortex

Question 5

Where do the interlobar vessels project into?

Answer 5

the medulla

Question 6

How many nephrons are there in the kidney?

Answer 6

0.5-1.5 million

Question 7

What are the two types of nephrons in the kidney?

Answer 7

cortical and juxta-medullary

Question 8

What are mesangial cells?

Answer 8

pericytes around capillaries in the kidney that support and control filtration

Question 9

What are podocytes?

Answer 9

forms the inner layer of Bowman’s capsule that covers the surface of capillaries with interdigitating processes - visceral epithelial cells

Question 10

What is special about the capillaries in the kidney?

Answer 10

they are fenestrated

Question 11

What provides the filtration barrier?

Answer 11

thick basal lamina and a slit membrane between the foot processes of the podocytes

Question 12

What is the histological structure of the proximal tubule?

Answer 12

simple cuboidal epithelium with a brush border and a folded basolateral membrane

Question 13

What is the histological structure of the thin walled loop of Henle?

Answer 13

squamous epithelium

Question 14

What is the histological structure of the distal tubule?

Answer 14

simple cuboidal epithelium with no brush border and even more mitochondria than the proximal tubule

Question 15

Where are the macula densa?

Answer 15

on the distal tubule where it passes by the afferent and efferent arterioles

Question 16

What does the macula densa look like histologically?

Answer 16

nuclei of the cells are very condensed and lined in a row

Question 17

What is the histological structure of the collecting duct?

Answer 17

simple cuboidal epithelium that becomes columnar - not as convoluted as the tubules so can see a longer lumen on sections

Question 18

What are the vasa recta?

Answer 18

capillaries that envelope the tubules

Question 19

What is the structure of the ureter?

Answer 19

smooth muscle tube lined by transitional epithelium - lumen is usually unevenly shaped

Question 20

What is the nerve control of peristalsis in the ureter?

Answer 20

autonomic

Question 21

What is the structure of the bladder?

Answer 21

disorganised layers of smooth muscle around transitional epithelium

Question 22

What is the nerve control of the smooth muscle in the bladder?

Answer 22

autonomic

Question 23

What is the nerve control of the bladder sphincter?

Answer 23

voluntary

Question 24

What is transitional epithelium?

Answer 24

It is stratified epithelium that looks either squamous (when bladder is full) or columnar (when bladder is empty)

Question 25

What is inserted into the transitional epithelium in bladder distension?

Answer 25

membrane ‘plaques’

Question 26

What is the permeability of the transitional epithelium?

Answer 26

non permeable - tightest junction of any epithelium in the body

Question 27

What epithelium is in the urethra?

Answer 27

transitional epithelium and then stratified squamous

Question 28

What type of muscle surrounds the urethra?

Answer 28

smooth muscle and striated muscle