Essentials of Clinical Nephrology (Shorouk Press, Cairo, 2000, ISBN ...

(Fig. 1.4)
Right kidney sectioned in several planes exposing the parenchyma and renal sinus.
(Reproduced with permission from Novartis, Switzerland).
BLOOD SUPPLY OF THE KIDNEY:
The renal arteries arise from the aorta opposite the intervertebral
disc L 1-2. In the hilum it gives anterior and posterior branches, which when
penetrate the kidney tissue form the interlobar arteries, running between renal
pyramids. At corticomedullary junction they turn to run along the base of the
pyramids, forming the arcuate arteries and at 90° get out the interlobular
arteries (Figure 1.5) which penetrate into the cortex and from them get the
afferent arterioles. At the glomerulus, afferent arteriole invaginates the
Bowman's capsule forming the glomerular tuft which is a modified capillaries
structure from which glomerular filtrate gets out to the urinary space of
Bowman's capsule. From the glomerulus the efferent arteriole gets out.
Efferent arterioles of the outer and middle cortical glomeruli get down between
tubules where they divide into capillary networks called peritubular capillaries.
The efferent arterioles of the inner cortical glomeruli penetrate deeply into
medullary pyramids forming vasa recta which share in the medullary counter
current exchange system. The vasa recta vessels dip deeply into medullary
pyramids, then make a hairpin turn returning to the corticomedullary junction.