The kidney is a bean-shaped structure that is about the size of a fist. It is located in the middle of the back just below the rib cage. The kidney has two main functions: to filter the blood and to remove waste from the body in the form of urine.
The kidney filters the blood to remove waste products and excess fluid. The filtered blood then flows through the renal arteries to the kidney. The renal arteries divide into smaller arteries and then into even smaller blood vessels called capillaries. The capillaries then converge to form the renal veins which carry the blood back to the heart.
Urine is produced when the kidney filters the blood. The wastes and excess fluid are removed from the blood and travel through the renal tubules. The renal tubules are tiny tubes that connect the kidney to the ureters (the tubes that carry urine from the kidney to the bladder). The urine then flows through the ureters and into the bladder where it is stored until it is ready to be eliminated from the body.
What is the name of the process by which the kidney filters blood?
glomerular filtration
What is the name of the structure in the kidney that filters blood?
the renal corpuscle
What is the name of the fine meshwork of capillaries that makes up the renal corpuscle?
the glomerulus
What does the glomerulus do?
It filters blood of small molecules ions and fluids while keeping proteins and blood cells in the blood.
What is the name of the network of blood vessels that carries blood to the glomerulus?
the afferent arteriole
What is the name of the network of blood vessels that carries blood away from the glomerulus?
the efferent arteriole
What is the name of the structure that is located between the afferent and efferent arterioles?
the renal capsule
What is the name of the structure located inside the renal capsule?
the renal pelvis
What is the name of the structure that leads from the renal pelvis to the ureter?
the calyx
What is the name of the structure that leads from the kidney to the bladder?
the ureter
