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How does blood travel from the renal artery to the glomerulus?
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renal system
Diagram showing the location of the kidneys in the abdominal cavity and their attachment to major arteries and veins.
Blood travels from the renal artery to the glomerulus through a highly organized network of vessels within the kidney. The pathway follows this sequence:
- Lobar Arteries: The renal artery divides into lobar arteries, which enter the kidney substance.
- Interlobar Arteries: These branch from the lobar arteries and run outward between the renal pyramids.
- Arcuate Arteries: Upon reaching the boundary between the cortex and the medulla, the interlobar arteries split into arcuate arteries that curve parallel to the kidney surface.
- Interlobular Arteries: These branch off the arcuate arteries and radiate outward through the cortex.
- Afferent Arterioles: Short branches called afferent arterioles emerge from the interlobular arteries to carry blood directly into the glomerulus, where they divide into capillary loops for filtration.1
Once in the glomerulus, blood pressure facilitates the filtration of plasma into Bowman’s capsule, after which the blood exits via the efferent arterioles.12