Alright. Let's dive into the external anatomy of our kidneys. So, the exterior of the kidney is covered in something called the renal capsule. And the renal capsule is basically a thin layer of a collagenous connective tissue. And, despite how thin it is, this layer is actually very tough and vibrant. So if you've ever looked at a kidney in, a dissection or in an anatomy photo, that outer layer of the kidney that you're seeing is the renal capsule. And it is considered a bit of a protective layer because of how tough and fibrous it can be. So, next up, we have one of the most characteristic features of the kidney which is the renal hilum. And the renal hilum is the left that you see on the medial surface of the kidney, and that kinda gives it its little characteristic little dip that gives it that kidney bean shape. And so this is gonna be the location where the ureter and the blood vessels can enter and exit our kidney. So if you're looking at our, kidney image over here, this kind of very classic characteristic side view of a kidney, this little dip in that surface is the renal hilum. So I'll go ahead and label that right now. Alright. And our kidneys are held in place and protected 2 additional layers of tissue. So first up, we have our renal fascia. And renal fascia, of course, like all fascia that we've seen in the human body, it's just gonna be a dense collagenous connective tissue that will kind of help to anchor the kidneys to the abdominal wall and kind of hold them in place. And we also have the adipose capsule, which is a thick layer of adipose or very fatty tissue. And that nice thick adipose capsule is basically going to act as kind of a shock absorber if we have any kind of trauma happening near our kidneys. So it's a very nice kind of cushiony protective layer in case we get any kind of injuries, near the kidney. So if we look down at our image here, I'm just gonna kind of orient you to this one here, on the left because it is a little bit of an odd view if you're not used to it. So what we're looking at here is basically a transverse slice of a human abdomen, and we're basically looking down into that transverse slice. And so this would be the person's spinal cord. So we're looking at the back of the person. So here's their spinal cord. We have a kidney on either side. You can kind of imagine this would be like their belly button area almost. And then we have an empty abdominal cavity right there. So that is what we are looking at here. So kind of going through, the exterior of the kidney and the layers, we're gonna start off with that renal capsule. So again, if you're just looking at a kidney, just a regular old kidney, that outer layer that you're seeing is the renal capsule. And you can see it's a very tiny thin layer. You can see that on our transverse splice here. So you can see how, despite how thin it is, remember, it's gonna be very tough and fibrous though. So that is our renal capsule. And then next up, we have all of this, this like thick yellow layer that is going to be our adipose capsule. So that nice thick layer of adipose tissue to protect the kidneys. And then finally, we have this layer of renal fascia, that kind of outer layer. And that fascia is going to kind of, again, help anchor the kidneys to the abdominal wall and kind of hold them in place. Alright. So that is the exterior of our kidney and all of the protective layers, and I will see you guys in our next video. Bye bye.
2
example
The Kidneys Example 1
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1m
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Okay. So this one asks us, which of the following answer choices correctly names the 3 protective layers surrounding each kidney from innermost to outermost? So if we are thinking of the innermost protective layer of the kidney, that is going to be our renal capsule because it's basically just covering the kidney itself. It's like the outer layer of the kidney and made of that nice, connective tissue. It's very tough and fibrous. So our first one here has to be renal capsule. So looking at our answer choices, it looks like B starts with that one. Then we can see this is going in the correct order. We have that nice, thick fatty adipose capsule in the middle and then our renal fascia at the outermost layer, which helps, surround our kidney and kind of anchor it to the abdominal wall and keep it nice and supported. So our answer here is going to be B from innermost to outermost, we have our renal capsule, our adipose capsule, and then our renal fascia. There you have it.
3
Problem
Problem
In the event of a traumatic injury, which layer surrounding the kidney provides a cushioning effect due to its fatty composition?
A
Renal capsule.
B
Adipose fascia.
C
Nephron tissue.
D
Adipose capsule.
4
concept
Internal Anatomy
Video duration:
6m
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Okay. Let's get into the internal anatomy of our kidney. So there are 3 main regions within the kidney. So first up, we have our renal cortex. Now we often think brain when we hear cortex, but keep in mind that cortex is just an anatomical term that refers to kind of the outermost layer of something. So this is the most superficial region of the inside of our kidney. It tends to be quite light in color and have a bit of like a granular appearance to it. That's our renal cortex. Next up, we have our renal medulla which is the middle region. And the renal medulla contains 2, separate structures. So first, we have our renal pyramids, which are cone shaped masses that are made up of parallel bundles of tubes and capillaries. And those parallel running tubes and capillaries give them kind of like a striated or striped, striped appearance. And these tend to be quite darker in color. They're like very visible little triangles within our kidney. And the tip of these pyramid is called the papilla. Now, within our medulla, we also have structures called renal columns. The renal columns are inward extensions of cortical tissue, and that's, of course, renal cortical tissue, not brain cortex, and these will kind of separate out those pyramid. So if we look down at our image here, we have a little cross section of a kidney, and you can see we have this nice superficial lightly colored region running here, and that is our renal vortex. And then we have this sort of middle portion right here, and that is gonna be our renal medulla. Then you can see how within the renal medulla, we have these cone shaped masses here. Those are the renal pyramids. And then, again, the tip of those pyramids is called the papilla. And then you can see we have the structure. It's kind of separating out those pyramids, and those are the renal columns. And you can see how the renal columns look just like the renal cortex. It's the exact same type of tissue that we have that cortical tissue just kind of, dipping down into that medulla and that is what our renal column is. Now, one thing to note is that the renal cortex and the renal medulla are the urine forming structures of our kidney. So this is where we are actually forming the urine. And then the urine is going to drain into our urine collection structure, which is our renal pelvis. So scooching down to our renal pelvis, this is gonna be a funnel shaped tube. And I'm gonna warn you, I'm gonna say the word funnel shaped tube like 15 times in the next minute. So please forgive me. There's just a lot of things that are shaped like funnels in this part of the kidney. So sometimes anatomy is weird, it is what it is. So our renal pelvis is a funnel shaped tube that is continuous with the ureter. So, again, this is kind of the urine collection structure in our kidney. And our renal pelvis is made of 2 type of structure. So first up, we have a minor calyx. So a minor calyx is a little funnel shaped tube that collects urine at the papilla of the renal pyramid. And then a major calyx is gonna be a slightly larger funnel shaped tube that is formed by the convergence of about 3 to 4 of those minor calyxes. And then the major calyce will drain urine into the renal pelvis. So if we are looking at our kidney now, you can see this, sort of central structure is the renal pelvis. And you can see right here how it is continuous with the ureter. So the ureter is right here is a big open tube and the, renal pelvis can drain right into that ureter. And then you can see we have a minor calyc, and I'll point to that on the image in just one second. So we're gonna have a little minor calyx right at the tip of those pyramids, right at that papilla. So basically urine is gonna be getting created within the renal medulla. It's gonna come out of that papilla and drain right into one of these little teeny tiny minor calyxes. And then right, kind of formed by the convergence of 1, 2, 3 minor calyxes, we have this major calyx here. K. And typically, we're gonna see that there's gonna be about 3 to 4 major calyces that will drain into the renal pelvis. Okay? So this is not a perfectly accurate image of what a kidney would look like. That's kind of the idea that we're going for. And I know that, you know, the renal pelvis and the major calyce can look like they're kind of one big continuous structure. But really, the renal pelvis is really this, like, central portion that's gonna be draining directly into that ureter, and the minor calyxes are these kinda like funnel like or cup like structures that are going to be formed right at the convergence of 3 of those little tiny minor calyces, like funnel shaped structures. So basically what's happening here is that we've got urine forming in the cortex. It's forming in the medulla. It's coming down. It's getting excreted out of the tip of that pyramid, the papilla. It'll get collected into a minor calyx, which will get dumped. It'll then get dumped into a major calyx. It will then drain into the renal pelvis, and then it will drain out into the ureter. Alright. So that is the internal anatomy of our kidney, and I will see you guys in the next one. Bye bye.
5
example
The Kidneys Example 2
Video duration:
1m
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Video transcript
Alright. So this one reads, which of the following statements best describes the renal pelvis? So let's run through them and see what we have here. So a reads, it is the outermost layer surrounding the kidney, and, nope, that would be the renal capsule. So a is out. B reads, it is located within the renal medulla, but the renal medulla and the renal pelvis are separate structures within our kidneys, so b is also out. B reads, it consists of renal pyramids and is the main location of blood filtration. So renal pyramids are found within the renal medulla, remember, and there is no filtration happening in the pelvis. It's simply acting as a collecting pool for urine. So c is out and we are left with d. It is a funnel shaped structure where urine collects, and that is absolutely correct. Remember our, renal pelvis? Think of our actual pelvis. It's that nice kind of funnel V shape to it. And this is just the structure in the kidney where our urine is actually kind of pooling together and collecting. So our answer here is D.
6
Problem
Problem
The kidneys are surrounded by a tough, fibrous layer of tissue called the: