ABSTRACT
The kidneys are paired solid organs that lie within the retroperitoneum on either side of the spine. The normal kidney in the adult male and female weighs approximately 150 g and 135 g, respectively. The dimensions of the kidney are related to the overall body size and the approximate measurements of a normal kidney are 10 to 12 cm in the cranial-caudial dimension, 5 to 7 cm in the medial-lateral dimension, and 3 cm in the anteriorposterior thickness.¹
Kidneys are covered by a thin but tough fibro-elastic capsule, which strips easily from the parenchyma but can hold the sutures better than parenchyma. On the medial surface of either kidney is a depression, the renal hilum, which leads into the space called the ‘renal sinus’. The urine-collecting structures and vessels occupy the renal sinus and exit the kidney through the hilum medially (Figure 2.1).
