Anatomy subcategory
Renal
Mnemonics for glomerular filtration, tubular handling and renal clearance.
Entries in Renal
Prerenal, intrinsic renal and postrenal
A mnemonic for classifying acute kidney injury by site.
Nephron loss with falling GFR, reduced concentrating ability and blunted responses
A memory aid for the normal renal changes of ageing.
Sodium in, potassium and hydrogen out, at the distal nephron
A memory aid for the renal actions of aldosterone.
It inserts aquaporin-2 channels into the collecting duct
A memory aid for how vasopressin concentrates the urine.
Total body water 60 per cent, two-thirds intracellular, one-third extracellular
A mnemonic for the distribution of body water.
Mostly passive in the proximal tubule and loop, actively regulated in the distal tubule
A memory aid for renal calcium reabsorption and its control.
Remaining nephrons hyperfilter, which compensates but accelerates decline
A memory aid for how surviving nephrons compensate as kidney function falls.
Medullary vasoconstriction and direct tubular toxicity
A memory aid for the mechanism of contrast-associated kidney injury.
Hairpin capillaries preserve the medullary gradient while still supplying blood
A memory aid for the role of the vasa recta.
The ascending limb pumps out salt, the descending limb loses water, and the gradient multiplies
A memory aid for how the loop of Henle creates the medullary gradient.
Creatinine rises only after substantial loss of filtration, and depends on muscle mass
A memory aid for the limitations of serum creatinine.
Afferent constriction lowers GFR; efferent constriction raises it
A memory aid for how the afferent and efferent arterioles control filtration.
Central lacks the hormone; nephrogenic cannot respond to it
A memory aid for distinguishing central from nephrogenic diabetes insipidus.
Diffusion for small solutes, convection for larger ones, ultrafiltration for water
A memory aid for the transport principles used in dialysis.
Acetazolamide proximal, loop diuretics in the loop, thiazides distal, potassium sparers in the collecting duct
A memory aid for where each diuretic class acts and its electrolyte effects.
Produced by renal interstitial cells in response to hypoxia
A memory aid for the production and action of erythropoietin.
GFR divided by renal plasma flow, normally about 20 per cent
A memory aid for filtration fraction and what changes it.
Below 1 per cent suggests prerenal; above 2 per cent suggests tubular injury
A memory aid for using FENa to distinguish prerenal from intrinsic renal failure.
The volume of solute-free water excreted or retained per unit time
A memory aid for the concept of free water clearance.
A WET BED: Acid-base, Water, Electrolytes, Toxins, Blood pressure, Erythropoietin, vitamin D
A mnemonic for the main functions of the kidney.
Glomerular filtration rate
A measure of kidney filtration function.
Fenestrated endothelium, basement membrane, and podocyte foot processes
A memory aid for the three layers of the filtration barrier.
The proximal tubule reabsorbs a constant fraction of whatever is filtered
A memory aid for the constant fractional reabsorption in the proximal tubule.
Glucose appears in urine once plasma glucose exceeds about 10 mmol/l
A memory aid for the renal threshold for glucose.
Splanchnic vasodilatation causes intense compensatory renal vasoconstriction
A memory aid for the mechanism of renal failure in liver disease.
Stabilise the membrane, shift potassium into cells, then remove it from the body
A memory aid for the three-step approach to hyperkalaemia.
Check osmolality, then volume status, then urine sodium
A memory aid for the stepwise assessment of hyponatraemia.
Macula densa, juxtaglomerular cells and extraglomerular mesangial cells
A memory aid for the components of the juxtaglomerular apparatus.
Deuterium for total body water, inulin for extracellular fluid, albumin for plasma
A memory aid for the indicators used to measure each fluid compartment.
Parasympathetic S2 to S4 empties the bladder; sympathetic and somatic control storage
A memory aid for the neural control of bladder emptying.
Glomerulus, Loop (of Henle), Ascending limb, Renal cortex collecting duct, Collecting Duct
A mnemonic for the main functional segments of the nephron in order.
Glomerulus, proximal tubule, loop of Henle, distal tubule, collecting duct
A memory aid for the sequence of nephron segments and what each does.
Osmoreceptors control antidiuretic hormone and thirst
A memory aid for how plasma osmolality is defended.
Unreabsorbed solute in the tubule holds water and drags electrolytes with it
A memory aid for the mechanism and causes of osmotic diuresis.
Reabsorbed proximally, and excretion is increased by parathyroid hormone and FGF23
A memory aid for renal phosphate regulation.
Retained solute and impaired tubular function cause a large diuresis after decompression
A memory aid for the diuresis following relief of urinary obstruction.
Filtered, largely reabsorbed proximally, then secreted in the distal nephron
A memory aid for how the kidney regulates potassium.
A rise in arterial pressure increases sodium and water excretion
A memory aid for the relationship between blood pressure and sodium excretion.
Two-thirds of sodium and water, and essentially all glucose, amino acids and bicarbonate
A memory aid for what the proximal tubule reabsorbs.
Two non-specific pumps secrete a wide range of drugs and endogenous compounds
A memory aid for the organic anion and cation secretory systems.
Myogenic response and tubuloglomerular feedback
A memory aid for the two mechanisms keeping renal blood flow constant.
The cortex receives most of the flow; the medulla is relatively hypoxic
A memory aid for the distribution of blood flow within the kidney.
The volume of plasma completely cleared of a substance per unit time
A memory aid for the clearance concept and its use.
Slow but powerful, taking days but capable of large adjustments
A memory aid for the timing and extent of renal compensation.
Autoregulation and hormonal control persist, but neural reflexes are lost
A memory aid for how a transplanted kidney behaves without nerves.
Filtration of free drug, active secretion, and passive reabsorption depending on pH
A memory aid for how the kidney eliminates drugs.
Bicarbonate reclamation proximally, then titratable acid and ammonium distally
A memory aid for how the kidney excretes acid.
Reabsorbed passively, with the amount depending on tubular flow rate
A memory aid for urea reabsorption and recycling.
Suppressed antidiuretic hormone allows maximally dilute urine
A memory aid for how the kidney excretes a water load.
GFR rises by about 50 per cent, so creatinine and urea fall
A memory aid for the renal adaptations of pregnancy.
Low GFR and limited concentrating ability, maturing over the first two years
A memory aid for the immaturity of neonatal renal function.
Renal blood flow falls as blood is diverted to muscle, with sodium and water conservation
A memory aid for renal changes during exercise.
Reduced filtration, increased proximal reabsorption, and hormonal salt and water retention
A memory aid for how the kidney conserves salt and water in hypovolaemia.
Supersaturation, low urine volume, and lack of inhibitors
A memory aid for the physiological factors promoting kidney stones.
Type 1 distal, type 2 proximal, type 4 hypoaldosteronism
A memory aid for the types of renal tubular acidosis.
Hyponatraemia with concentrated urine in a euvolaemic patient with normal endocrine and renal function
A memory aid for the diagnostic criteria of SIADH.
Proximal 65 per cent, loop 25 per cent, distal 5 per cent, collecting duct 3 per cent
A memory aid for how much sodium each segment reabsorbs.
Glomerular capillary pressure drives filtration; oncotic and capsular pressures oppose it
A memory aid for the forces determining glomerular filtration.
Accumulated toxins affect nearly every system once GFR falls very low
A memory aid for the multisystem effects of uraemia.
Filtered, almost completely reabsorbed, then secreted, with net excretion about 10 per cent
A memory aid for renal handling of urate and the causes of hyperuricaemia.
From 50 to 1200 mOsm per kilogram, needing an intact loop, gradient and hormone
A memory aid for the range of urine osmolality and what is required for each extreme.
25-hydroxylation in the liver, 1-alpha hydroxylation in the kidney
A memory aid for the two hydroxylation steps activating vitamin D.