asked 141k views
3 votes
Describe the structure of the kidney.

asked
User Shroud
by
8.1k points

1 Answer

5 votes

Step-by-step explanation:

Step-by-step explanation:

The kidneys are located near the back wall of the abdomen, just below the diaphragm, one on each side of the body. Each kidney of an adult human weighs about 150 grams and is shaped like a bean. The kidneys have a function of regulating and purifying the concentration of most constituents of extracellular fluid. The kidney has an outer shell known as the cortex and an innermost shell, known as the medulla. At the intersection between two medulla is formed a renal papilla. The papules come together in a very central part which is the goblet.

Each kidney has about 1 million nephrons, the urine-forming unit, and each nephron consists of a glomerulus (glomerular capillaries) and renal tubules. The glomerulus is made up of the branching of glomerular capillaries that form a network, covered by the fluid-retaining Bowman capsule, and form a sequence of tubes: proximal tube, Henle's loop, distal tube, connector tube, collecting tube and collecting duct.

Blood reaches the kidneys through the renal artery, which branches off to form the afferent arterioles that attach to the glomerular capillaries (where blood filtration occurs), then form the efferent vessels, which again become capillaries, the peritubular capillaries, which surround the renal tubules. These capillaries form veins and will aggregate to form larger veins. Finally, they form the renal veins, which leave the kidney through the hilum region.

answered
User Esa
by
7.6k points

No related questions found

Welcome to Qamnty — a place to ask, share, and grow together. Join our community and get real answers from real people.