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The renal arteries are the vessels that carry blood from the heart to the kidneys. The right and left renal arteries each originate at their corresponding aortic arch, but they may have slightly different sizes or lengths depending on such factors as age.
Each one then travels down toward its respective kidney through an abdominal cavity called the retroperitoneal space.
The renal artery is also known as the afferent arteriole which means that it carries blood into the nephron. The main role of these arteries is to provide oxygenated blood for filtration and excretion of waste products from the kidneys, via capillaries i.e. glomerulus.
The renal artery is the main blood supply for each kidney, so it is essential for its survival. The arterial walls are very elastic and composed of smooth muscle to allow the kidneys to adjust their blood flow according to various conditions such as exertion or even dehydration.
It also gives a secondary supply to the ureters. The renal arteries are small in size and have an average diameter of about 1 mm.
They branch extensively into arterioles which then further branch into capillaries (endothelial cells) that lie within the glomerulus, from where it exchanges oxygenated blood and filtrate (urine) with the surrounding interstitium.