The renal pelvis: machinery that concentrates urine in the papilla.
Two decades ago, Bodil Schmidt-Nielsen and Bruce Graves documented the rhythmic contractions of the renal pelvis in a remarkable video, visually demonstrating how peristaltic waves empty the papilla and how the subsequent elastic recoil draws water from the collecting duct and into the tethered-open ascending vasa recta. Thus a periodic hydrostatic gradient generates an axial osmotic gradient. This review recapitulates the video and offers a link to figures and scenes digitized from the original tape.
Dwyer
Terry M
TM
Department of Physiology and Biophysics and Center for Excellence in Cardiovascular-Renal Research, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS 30216-4505, USA.
Schmidt-Nielsen
Bodil
B
D006801:Humans; D007671:Kidney Concentrating Ability / Q000502:physiology*; D007679:Kidney Medulla / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D007682:Kidney Pelvis / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*