Urinary System 1

Question 1

Medial Border of Kidney

Answer 1

The concave medial border of each kidney faces the vertebral column and contains the renal hilum, where the ureter, blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, and nerves enter and exit.

Question 2

Renal Capsule

Answer 2

• The deepest layer of the kidney, a smooth, transparent sheet of dense irregular connective tissue,
• continuous with the ureter’s outer coat. It protects the kidney and maintains its shape.

Question 2

Adipose Capsule

Answer 2

• The middle layer of the kidney, a mass of fatty tissue surrounding the renal capsule,
• providing protection and holding the kidney in place.

Question 3

Renal Fascia

Answer 3

The superficial layer of the kidney, a thin layer of dense irregular connective tissue, anchoring the kidney to surrounding structures and the abdominal wall.

It lies deep to the peritoneum on the anterior surface

Question 4

What structures are found in the renal medulla?

Answer 4

• The renal medulla consists of several cone-shaped renal pyramids.
• The base of each pyramid faces the renal cortex, and the apex, called a renal papilla, points toward the renal hilum.

Question 5

What are renal columns?

Answer 5

Renal columns are portions of the renal cortex that extend between the renal pyramids.

Question 6

What are the functional units of the kidney, and where are they located?

Answer 6

nephrons, about 1 million microscopic structures located within the parenchyma (the renal cortex and renal pyramids of the renal medulla).

Question 7

What is the renal sinus, and what does it contain?

Answer 7

• The renal sinus is a cavity within the kidney that contains part of the renal pelvis, the calyces, and branches of the renal blood vessels and nerves.
• Adipose tissue helps stabilize these structures in the renal sinus.

Question 8

How do the positions of the right and left kidneys differ?

Answer 8

The right kidney usually lies a little lower than the left kidney.

Question 9

What organs are associated with the kidneys posteriorly?

Answer 9

• Diaphragm,
• The quadratus lumborum muscle,
• The psoas muscles
• The 12th ribs.

Question 10

What organs are associated with the right kidney anteriorly?

Answer 10

• The right suprarenal gland at its upper pole
• The right lobe of the liver by the upper two-thirds of its anterior surface
• The hepatic flexure of the colon at its lower pole
• The second part of the duodenum at its medial border

Question 11

What organs are associated with the left kidney anteriorly?

Answer 11

• The left suprarenal gland at its upper medial border
• The spleen by the upper two-thirds of its lateral border
• The stomach above
• The jejunum at its lower pole
• The splenic flexure laterally

Question 12

What hormones regulate the process of reabsorption in the kidneys? A: The hormones that regulate reabsorption include:

Answer 12

Parathyroid hormone & calcitonin (regulate reabsorption of calcium and phosphate)

Antidiuretic hormone (ADH) (increases the permeability of the distal convoluted tubules)