Basic Kidney Anatomy

Question 1

What is the Cortex and what does it do?

Answer 1

Outer layer - contains 80% of nephrons.
These nephrons filter the blood continuously to maintain balance.

Question 2

What is the Medulla and what does it do?

Answer 2

The inner layer and contains 20% of nephrons. These filter the blood but are responsible to concentrate urine.

Question 3

Renal pelvis

Answer 3

Start of the collecting system. It contains collecting tubules and the ureter.

Question 4

What does the ureters do?

Answer 4

They carry urine into the bladder where it’s stored and eliminated through the urethra.