The following components of total renal volume were quantitated in 14 human kidneys affected by generalized atrophic or hypertrophic conditions: superficial cortex, columns of Bertin, medulla, and pelvis. These components were found to be present in proportions that were quite constant and essentially the same as those previously found in normal kidneys. Thus all parts of the kidney are equally responsive to generalized atrophic or hypertrophic conditions. In normal as well as abnormal kidneys, the mean glomerular diameter was found to be related to total renal (or cortical) volume, but in highly different manners for normal and abnormal kidneys. Glomeruli of greatest diameter were found in kidneys having high demands for renal function: in hypertrophic abnormal kidneys, or in normal kidneys of small renal volume, having increased functional demand per nephron. Smallest glomeruli were observed in kidneys with low functional demand: in atrophic abnormal kidneys or in normal kidneys of greatest renal volume, having small functional demand per nephron.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.