Bassett Collection of Stereoscopic Images of Human Anatomy

Collection Home

Kidneys, suprarenal glands and posterior abdominal vessels, nerves and muscles

Kidneys in situ, posterior view

Image #152-5

KEYWORDS: Adrenal gland, Kidney, Muscles and tendons, Peripheral nervous system, Vasculature.

Creative Commons

Stanford holds the copyright to the David L. Bassett anatomical images and has assigned Creative Commons license Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International to all of the images.

For additional information regarding use and permissions, please contact Dr. Drew Bourn at dbourn@stanford.edu.

Kidneys, suprarenal glands and posterior abdominal vessels, nerves and muscles

Kidneys in situ, posterior view

The kidneys have been exposed from behind by the removal of spinal masculature and muscles of the abdominal wall. Fascia and fat related to the kidneys has also been excised. On the left side of psoas major and quadratus lumborum muscles have been cut away. On the right, the psoas major has been preserved with the result that the right ureter is obscured from view.

1 .	Rib XII (stripped of periosteum)
2 .	Left kidney (Note: the kidney is slightly displaced so that it touches the twelfth rib in the specimen)
3 .	Transverse process vertebra L. II
4 .	Renal pelvis
5 .	Ureter
6 .	Intervertebral joint capsule L. III- IV
7 .	Lumbar artery IV
8 .	Superficial fascia
9 .	Supraspinal ligament (blended with thoracolumbar fascia)
10 .	Erector spinae muscle (cut across)
11 .	External intercostal muscle
12 .	Quadratus lumborum muscle (cut across)
13 .	Right kidney (posterior surface)
14 .	Renal pelvis
15 .	Lateral intertransverse muscle
16 .	Psoas major muscle
17 .	Quadratus lumborum muscle (lowest fascicle)
18 .	Iliac crest