Blood supply and innervation of the kidney

The blood supply of the kidney to the human organism is of crucial importance. If the disturbed blood flow through the kidney, which is equivalent to a (partial) failure of the kidneys, the body with waste products of metabolism will be flooded. Moreover, in disarray and the water-mineral balance and finally the disturbed blood pressure regulation. So it is not surprising that about a quarter of all human blood always flows through the kidneys.

The left renal arteries, the abdominal artery (aorta) in the amount of the second lumbar vertebra. The aorta is to the left of the spine. The inferior vena cava, into which open the efferent renal vessels located on the right. To get to the right kidney, renal artery, therefore, not only the spine from the front but also behind the vena cava from crossing over. This may be important in certain disease processes.

On their entry into the renal artery Nierenhilum the branches into two or three strains. In addition, there are many people in ancillary (additional) renal arteries, which in some cases, avoid the path into the Nierenhilum and open directly into the kidney tissue at one pole of the kidney.

As a rule, however, the arteries divide into several branches and trunks to follow strictly the calyces toward the renal medulla. Are they penetrated to the marrow-cortex border, where they divide into the arch arteries (arcuate arteries). The arch arteries are so called because they follow the curved boundary between the renal cortex and medulla.


Arteries arise from the arch, the cortical arteries.
Arch arteries arise from the bark of the arteries, to pull the glomeruli and entanglement in the glomeruli. These arteries are entering the glomerulus and again. The incoming afferent artery is called the executive vas efferent artery is called. Both are - and this is important - arteries.


The arteries in the area Tubulusapparates go over into the venous system.
After leaving the glomerulus follow the arteries - at right angles to the arch arteries - to the tubules in the renal medulla down. There they branch off into a capillary, which is wound around the renal tubules. This capillary network eventually go through the arteries into the veins.


The veins follow in reverse the course of the arteries.
The venous capillary network empties into a vein, which ascends, until it again reaches the cortex-mark limit. These are common on ascending and descending vessels of the kidney medulla, a counterflow system, which is very important for the final urine concentration. From the border between cortex and medulla suggest the veins rückwärzt the same way one of the arteries, eventually they end up as renal vein into the inferior vena cava.


At closure of a renal artery, there is a renal infarction in the renal tissue dies.
The branching of the renal arteries form Endgefäße. This means there are no short-circuit connections (collaterals) between adjacent arteries. This has the consequence that in the event of a closure of an arterial trunk (eg by a thrombus) of the kidney supplied by this artery District is no longer supplied and thus goes down. It is then a renal infarction.


The kidney is supplied by the Sympatikus.
The kidney is supplied mainly by nerves of the sympathetic nervous system. They wrap around the renal arteries and follow them in their course. The nerves regulate the one hand, in the kidney for the regulation of blood pressure enormously important wall tension of the renal arteries. On the other hand, they can cause the juxtaglomerular apparatus, the distribution of the blood pressure-regulating hormone renin.