Renal Arteries (Section Kidney)

Description

Cut through the male kidney, the section exposes the renal cortex as a peripheral band surrounding the medulla, where renal pyramids converge toward the renal papillae and drain into minor calyces, then major calyces, and the renal pelvis. A dominant renal artery enters at the renal hilum on the medial border and divides into segmental arteries, which course between pyramids as interlobar arteries before arching along the corticomedullary junction as arcuate arteries. From there, interlobular arteries extend superiorly and inferiorly into the cortex, giving rise to afferent arterioles that feed the glomerular capillary tufts. Renal veins accompany the arterial tree in close parallel. Clear, teachable branching. Surgical and interventional planning hinges on this hierarchy because segmental arteries are functional end arteries, so ligation or embolization can infarct a discrete renal segment during partial nephrectomy, trauma control, or preoperative tumor devascularization. The corticomedullary position of the arcuate vessels also explains why cortical perfusion patterns on contrast-enhanced CT differ from medullary enhancement, and why cortical ischemia from renal artery stenosis can present with preserved collecting system anatomy but reduced glomerular filtration. Hypertension fits here. Use this artwork in renal block lectures to link vascular anatomy to nephron physiology, in urology and vascular surgery texts discussing hilar dissection and nephron-sparing approaches, or in radiology teaching files that correlate arterial branching with wedge-shaped perfusion defects and infarcts. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.