Proximal Tubule
PROXIMAL TUBULE The proximal tubule receives urine from Bowman’s space. It plays a major role in the transport of material from the urine back into the blood (reabsorption) and vice…
Glomerulus Fine Structure
ADDITIONAL CELL TYPES The mesangial cells provide structural support to the glomerular capillaries. These cells are irregularly shaped and send long cytoplasmic processes between endothelial cells. They are similar to…
Renal Microvasculature
The association of vasa recta with the loops of Henle and collecting ducts forms the anatomic substrate for the countercurrent exchange system, which is critical for the production of concentrated…
Glomerulus: Structure and Histology
The GBM lines the outer surface of the endothelial cells and is continuous with the basement membrane of Bowman’s capsule. It is synthesized by both endothelial cells and podocytes, and…
Overview of the Nephron
DISTAL CONVOLUTED TUBULE, CONNECTING TUBULE, AND COLLECTING DUCT The thick ascending limb, as described in the previous section, courses from the medulla toward the cortex, where it transitions to the…
Lymphatics of Urinary System
SUMMARY The lymph drainage of the bladder and ureters passes to the external, internal, and common iliac groups of nodes—a sequential chain of nodes that drains next to the lumbar…
Innervation Pathways of the Ureter and Bladder
In contrast, afferent fibers conveying pain from organs without serosa (i.e., subperitoneal viscera, such as the neck of the bladder, terminal ureters, prostate, cervix, and upper vagina), as well as…
Innervation Pathways of the Kidneys and Upper Ureter
PARASYMPATHETIC Anatomy. Parasympathetic innervation of the urinary system is derived from cranial and sacral sources. Both sources send presynaptic fibers all the way to the target organ, where they synapse…
Vasculature of Ureters and Bladder
The inferior vesical arteries ramify over the fundus and neck of the bladder. On their way to the bladder, the arteries pass through the lateral ligaments of the bladder, where…
Innervation of Kidneys, Ureters, and Bladder
The pathway of sympathetic innervation to the kidneys and upper ureter (see Plate 1-15) begins in presynaptic fibers originating in the T10-L1 levels of the IML. These fibers travel through…
