Anatomy study note · Abdomen

Renal arteries and veins

Each renal artery arises from the aorta at L2 and divides into about five segmental arteries at the hilum. Each renal vein emerges in front of the artery and drains into the IVC.

Key points

• Renal arteries from the aorta at L2; ~5 segmental arteries.
• Vein in front of the artery at the hilum.
• Left renal vein receives left suprarenal + left gonadal veins.
• Renal artery: lateral splanchnic branch at L2.
• Left renal vein crosses in front of the aorta (intersubcardinal anastomosis).
• Interlobar → arcuate → interlobular → afferent arteriole.
• Artery: thick media. Vein: thin wall, thick adventitia, valves.

The full note in the atlas also covers

Features · Histology · Development · Clinical notes

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Written from

• Snell’s Clinical Anatomy by Regions, 10th ed., ch. 7, PDF pp. 938, 949, 958–959
• Inderbir Singh’s Human Embryology, ch. 16, PDF pp. 282, 285; ch. 15, PDF p. 268
• BRS Cell Biology & Histology, 7th ed., ch. 11, PDF pp. 197–199, 203–205; ch. 18, PDF p. 331

More from the abdomen

• Spleen
• Stomach
• Superficial epigastric vessels
• Superior mesenteric artery
• Suprarenal gland
• Testicular vessels
• Testis
• Transverse colon
• Transversus abdominis
• Umbilical cord
• Ureter
• Vas deferens

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