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How long is a typical human nephron?
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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.
A typical human nephron is a long, extremely fine tubule that measures approximately 30â55 mm (1.2â2.2 inches) in length.12
Each kidney contains about 1,000,000 of these functional units, which are responsible for producing urine by filtering blood and reabsorbing essential substances. While the general structure is consistent, the length of specific segmentsâparticularly the loop of Henleâcan vary depending on the nephron's location within the renal cortex.12