Urinary System – Review of Clinical Anatomy

Question 1

Kidney Fun Facts:

• Length
• Width
• Thickness
• Surfaces
• Borders
• Poles
• Weight
• Hilum

Answer 1

• Length: 10-11 cm (left kidney slightlylonger)
• Width: 5-6 cm (left kidney slightlynarrower)
• Thickness: 2.5-3 cm
• Surfaces: Anterior & Posterior
• Borders: Lateral (convex) & Medial (concave)
• Poles: Upper (superior) & Lower (inferior)
• Weight: 150g (male), 135g (female)
• Hilum: On Medial Border

Question 2

What makes up the renal lobe?

Answer 2

Renal Lobe = Medullary Pyramid + Surrounding Cortex

Question 3

Identify the vascular supply:

Answer 3

1. Renal Artery
2. Segmental Artery
3. Lobar Artery
4. Interlobar Artery
5. Arcuate Artery
6. Interlobular Artery

Question 4

How much of the cardiac output is supplied to the kidneys?

Answer 4

Renal arteries: supply the kidneys with 20-25% of the cardiac output

Question 5

Which artery branch from the renal vascular supply is the first to penetrate renal tissue?

Answer 5

D. Interlobar artery

Question 6

What is the location of the kidneys?

Answer 6

• primarily retroperitoneal and adjacent to the posterior abdominal wall
• located between vertebral levels T12-L3

Question 7

Which kidney sits higher than the other?

Answer 7

left kidney sits a few centimeters higher than the right kidney (because of the liver)

Question 8

Identify the levels of sympathetic innervation for the following:

1. Kidney
2. Ureter
3. Urinary Bladder

Answer 8

1. Kidney: T10 - L1
2. Ureter: T11 - L2
3. Urinary Bladder: T11 - L2

Question 9

How does the urinary system receive parasympathetic innervation?

Answer 9

Mostly via:

1. Vagus nerve
   
   • ​​kidney and ureter
2. Pelvic splanchnic nerves
   
   • ​​ureter and bladder

Question 10

Posterior Relations of the Kidneys:

Answer 10

• Green = Respiratory Diaphragm
• Salmon = Transversus Abdominis Aponeurosis
• Yellow = Quadratus Lumborum
• Purple = Psoas Major

Question 11

What helps hold the kidneys in place as the body moves around (breathing, walking, adjusting posture)?

Answer 11

perirenal fat

Question 12

Blood supply of the ureter comes from …

Answer 12

branches of arteries encountered along its course from kidney to urinary bladder