UroCompanion
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MiscellaneousStandardLast updated 29 May 2026

Anatomy

  • Gerota's fascia surrounds the kidney and perinephric fat; the right kidney sits 1–2 cm lower than the left due to the liver.
  • The right renal artery passes posterior to the IVC; the left renal vein passes anterior to the aorta (between SMA and aorta — vulnerable to nutcracker syndrome).
  • The left adrenal vein drains into the left renal vein; the right adrenal vein drains directly into the IVC.
  • The left gonadal vein drains into the left renal vein; the right gonadal vein drains directly into the IVC.
  • The ureter crosses anterior to the bifurcation of the common iliac artery at the pelvic brim — a key surgical landmark.
  • The blood supply to the ureter comes medially in the abdomen and laterally in the pelvis.
  • The trigone of the bladder is formed by the two ureteric orifices and the internal urethral meatus.
  • The prostate has 4 zones: peripheral (where most cancers arise), central, transition (where BPH arises), and anterior fibromuscular stroma.
  • The neurovascular bundles of the prostate run posterolaterally and are key for nerve-sparing prostatectomy.
  • The testicular lymphatic drainage follows the gonadal vessels to the para-aortic and interaortocaval nodes — not the inguinal nodes.
  • The scrotal lymphatic drainage goes to the superficial inguinal nodes.
  • The femoral nerve sits lateral to (outside) the femoral sheath; the femoral artery, vein and lymphatics are within the sheath.
  • The deep inguinal ring lies lateral to the inferior epigastric vessels; the superficial ring lies medial.