Findings

In this diagram of a longitudinally sectioned kidney, the structural anatomy is shown on the left and the major renal vasculature on the right. The outer dark-staining portion of the kidney is the cortex which filters the blood. The inner lighter-staining medulla concentrates the blood ultrafiltrate. The light-staining striations in the cortex are medullary rays that radiate into the cortex from the medullary pyramids that are bounded by the cortical columns. The renal calyces collect urine produced by the kidney and drain into the ureter. The renal pelvis contains the proximal portion of the ureter, the calyces and large renal arteries and veins. These large vessels divide into interlobar vessels in the cortical columns, arcuate vessels at the interface between the cortex and medulla, and the interlobular vessels in the cortex.

Image Credit

Educational Computing
School of Medicine
University of California, San Diego

Katsumi M. Miyai, M.D., Ph.D
Department of Pathology
School of Medicine
University of California, San Diego