Quick Facts
Origin: Segmental arteries of kidney.
Course: Extend outward from near the renal papillae within the renal columns.
Branches: The interlobar arteries bifurcate into arcuate arteries just as they reach the renal cortex, and these branches travel in opposite directions across the cortex.
Supplied Structures: Renal columns.
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The renal segmental arteries give rise to renal interlobar arteries.
Course
Renal interlobar arteries pass from the renal pelvis side (deep) to the cortex side (superficial) along the renal columns on either side of a renal pyramid.
Branches
The interlobar arteries bifurcate just as they reach the renal cortex (juxtamedullary zone of the cortex) sending arcuate arteries in opposite directions that parallel the external surface of the kidney.
Supplied Structures
The interlobar arteries supply the renal columns, and will ultimately, through one or more generations of branches, provide the afferent glomerular input of the nephron.