Quick Facts
The renal cortex is the outer part of the substance of the kidney, composed mainly of glomeruli and convoluted tubules; it is continuous with the renal columns, which are also composed of cortical tissue (Dorland, 2011).
Related parts of the anatomy
Structure and/or Key Features
The renal cortex is described as the highly vascularized, smooth, outer portion of the kidney. The renal corpuscles of the nephrons are located in the renal cortex. The cortex is subsequently divided into the outer and inner cortex depending on the distribution of the renal corpuscles (Zhang, 1999). Nephrons with their renal corpuscles located in the outer cortex are typically known as cortical nephrons.
Anatomical Relations
The outer cortex lies directly beneath the fibrous capsule and surrounds and encases the inner cortex and the renal medulla.
Function
Both the outer and inner cortex contribute to ultrafiltration, fluid balance regulation, and the production of the red blood cell synthesizing hormone, erythropoietin (Pocock et al, 2013).
References
Dorland, W. (2011) Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary. 32nd edn. Philadelphia, USA: Elsevier Saunders.
Pocock, G., Richards, C. D. & Richards, D. A. (2013) Human Physiology, 4 edition. OUP Oxford.
Zhang, S. X. (1999) An Atlas of HistologySpringer.
