CALC Radiology 1.11
Urinary system
- Consists of:
o Kidneys, ureter, bladder and urethra
o Same in male and female except urethra
o Extends from abdomen to pelvis, linked with genital system
- Function:
o Primary function is: filtration of blood with the production, transit, storage and
disposal of urine
o Also, the regulation of body pH and blood pressure
Anatomy
- This is a coronal image using CT scan
- Identifies: the skeleton of abdomen and pelvis, muscles,
urinary system and prostate
Kidney – gross anatomy
- This is a coronal image using MRA scan
- Identifies the left and right kidney, the liver in top right and
spleen in top left.
- The white is fat
Location of kidneys
- Can just about see the outline of the right and left kidneys.
This is visible as they have had IV contrast which the kidneys
are now starting to excrete
- The image is from an IVP which is an IV pyelogram
- The kidneys are retroperitoneal organs (behind the
peritoneum) at level T12 and L3 vertebral bodies
- Located on the posterior abdominal wall, one either side of
the vertebral column in the perineal space
- The long axis of the kidney lies parallel to the lateral wall of
the psoas muscle and lies on the quadratus lumborum
muscle
- Kidney lies at an oblique angle – superior pole is more medial
and anterior
- Right kidney is often slightly lower than left due to right lobe of the liver
, - This is an axial view
- Kidneys are very posterior in the body
- Lie in the perineal space (fatty)
- Size of kidneys:
- Slightly different between males and females
o Male: 10-14cm
o Female: 9-13cm
- Approximate size is over 3-4 vertebral bodies
- Decreases with age and increases with BMI
- The weight is: 150-260g each
Structure of kidneys
- Bean shaped with a superior, mid and inferior pole
- Covered by a fibrous capsule which is surrounded by perineal fat
- The renal parenchyma is split into the renal cortex and the medulla
- Centrally, there is the renal sinus, which is the fatty compartment that is located medially.
o Includes the renal pelvis, calyces, renal vessels, lymphatics and fat
Renal parenchyma
- The outer cortex lies peripheral under the capsule
- The medulla is more medial and consists of 10-14 renal pyramids/lobes which are separate
from each other by an inward extension of cortex called renal
column
o Each pyramid is separated by the renal column
- The sinus is the part that contains the renal pelvis or the
collecting system including all the vessels and the nerves
- The renal lobes/pyramids of the medulla and the overlying renal
cortex and adjacent renal columns that produce the urine
- Each lobe drains at a papilla, which is at the top of the pyramid,
into a minor calyx
- 4-5 minor calyces unite to form a major calyx
- 2-3 major calyces form the renal pelvis
Urinary system
- Consists of:
o Kidneys, ureter, bladder and urethra
o Same in male and female except urethra
o Extends from abdomen to pelvis, linked with genital system
- Function:
o Primary function is: filtration of blood with the production, transit, storage and
disposal of urine
o Also, the regulation of body pH and blood pressure
Anatomy
- This is a coronal image using CT scan
- Identifies: the skeleton of abdomen and pelvis, muscles,
urinary system and prostate
Kidney – gross anatomy
- This is a coronal image using MRA scan
- Identifies the left and right kidney, the liver in top right and
spleen in top left.
- The white is fat
Location of kidneys
- Can just about see the outline of the right and left kidneys.
This is visible as they have had IV contrast which the kidneys
are now starting to excrete
- The image is from an IVP which is an IV pyelogram
- The kidneys are retroperitoneal organs (behind the
peritoneum) at level T12 and L3 vertebral bodies
- Located on the posterior abdominal wall, one either side of
the vertebral column in the perineal space
- The long axis of the kidney lies parallel to the lateral wall of
the psoas muscle and lies on the quadratus lumborum
muscle
- Kidney lies at an oblique angle – superior pole is more medial
and anterior
- Right kidney is often slightly lower than left due to right lobe of the liver
, - This is an axial view
- Kidneys are very posterior in the body
- Lie in the perineal space (fatty)
- Size of kidneys:
- Slightly different between males and females
o Male: 10-14cm
o Female: 9-13cm
- Approximate size is over 3-4 vertebral bodies
- Decreases with age and increases with BMI
- The weight is: 150-260g each
Structure of kidneys
- Bean shaped with a superior, mid and inferior pole
- Covered by a fibrous capsule which is surrounded by perineal fat
- The renal parenchyma is split into the renal cortex and the medulla
- Centrally, there is the renal sinus, which is the fatty compartment that is located medially.
o Includes the renal pelvis, calyces, renal vessels, lymphatics and fat
Renal parenchyma
- The outer cortex lies peripheral under the capsule
- The medulla is more medial and consists of 10-14 renal pyramids/lobes which are separate
from each other by an inward extension of cortex called renal
column
o Each pyramid is separated by the renal column
- The sinus is the part that contains the renal pelvis or the
collecting system including all the vessels and the nerves
- The renal lobes/pyramids of the medulla and the overlying renal
cortex and adjacent renal columns that produce the urine
- Each lobe drains at a papilla, which is at the top of the pyramid,
into a minor calyx
- 4-5 minor calyces unite to form a major calyx
- 2-3 major calyces form the renal pelvis
