The suprarenal glands, historically referred to as “adrenal” (a misnomer that incorrectly implied a subservient relationship to the kidneys), are bilateral glands typically related to the superomedial aspects of the kidneys but not attached to them. They are attached to the diaphragmatic crura, a relationship maintained in the presence of nephroptosis (“dropped kidneys”). Like the kidneys, the suprarenal glands are surrounded by a variable amount of fat. The crescentic left suprarenal gland lies medial to the upper third of the kidney, extending from the apex to the hilum. The pyramidal right suprarenal gland sits caplike on the superior pole of the right kidney.

The anterior relations of the left and right kidneys differ, reflecting their associations with the various unpaired organs that constitute the abdominal viscera. The posterior relations of both kidneys are similar, reflecting their associations with the paired muscles of the posterior abdominal wall.