Abdomen Sonography: Kidneys - Video Lesson

Hey everyone, welcome back to our abdominal ultrasound series. In this lesson, we will look at the normal anatomy and physiology of the kidneys, how to identify surrounding structures, recognize the appearance of the kidneys on ultrasound, and understand what normal cortical thickness and echogenicity should look like. We'll also cover renal blood flow patterns with Doppler, common lab values, and how these relate to kidney function in both adult and pediatric patients. Let's get started. Each kidney is a bean shaped organ typically measuring about nine to twelve centimeters long, four to five centimeters wide, and two point five to three centimeters thick in adults. The right kidney is usually slightly lower than the left due to the position of the liver. Both kidneys lie retroperitoneally along the posterior abdominal wall with the left kidney positioned between T12 and L3 and the right slightly lower around L1 to L4. Due to their retroperitoneal position,