What are the Adrenal Glands?

The adrenal gland is a very important endocrine organ in the human body. Because it is located above the kidneys on both sides, it is called the adrenal gland. The adrenal glands are located on the left and right, and are located above the kidney. They are surrounded by the renal fascia and adipose tissue. The left adrenal gland is semilunar, and the right adrenal gland is triangular. The adrenal glands weighed about 30g on both sides. Viewed from the side, the glands are divided into two parts, the adrenal cortex and the adrenal medulla. The surrounding part is the cortex and the inside is the medulla. The two are different in occurrence, structure and function, and are actually two endocrine glands.

The adrenal gland is a very important endocrine organ in the human body. Because it is located above the kidneys on both sides, it is called the adrenal gland. The adrenal glands are located on the left and right, and are located above the kidney. They are surrounded by the renal fascia and adipose tissue. The left adrenal gland is semilunar, and the right adrenal gland is triangular. The adrenal glands weighed about 30g on both sides. Viewed from the side, the glands are divided into two parts, the adrenal cortex and the adrenal medulla. The surrounding part is the cortex and the inside is the medulla. The two are different in occurrence, structure and function, and are actually two endocrine glands.

Chinese name

Adrenal gland

Foreign name

The adrenal glands

Category

organ

Location

Above both kidneys

1 Adrenal gland 1. Anatomy of adrenal gland:

The adrenal glands are paired endocrine glands. They are soft and pale yellow. They are about 5 × 3 × 1cm2, weigh about 7g, and the left side is slightly larger. They are located in the retroperitoneal space on both sides of the spine and belong to the extraperitoneal organs. . The left adrenal gland is long and semilunar. Its front is adjacent to the stomach, pancreas, and spleen; the back is attached to the left foot of the iliac crest; the depression below is called the renal surface and lies close to the upper part of the medial edge of the left kidney; the medial edge contacts the abdominal aorta and celiac ganglia. The left adrenal portal is located in the lower part of the front, and the central adrenal vein passes through the portal to the left renal vein. The right adrenal gland is slightly shorter and triangular. The medial part of the front has no peritoneum and is directly in contact with the inferior vena cava; the lateral part is adjacent to the liver; the back of the gland is slightly convex and is attached to the iliac crest; the bottom depression is called the renal surface, which lies close to the upper end of the right kidney, and the medial margin is adjacent Celiac ganglia. The right adrenal portal is located in the anterior superior division of the gland, and the central adrenal vein passes through the portal to the inferior vena cava or right renal vein. The adrenal glands and kidneys are encased together in the renal fascia, but each has its own fibrous sac and fat sac; therefore, it does not move down with the kidney. The adipose connective tissue between the adrenal gland and the kidney is not obvious in the fetus and the newborn, and gradually thickens with age. Sometimes small pieces of tissue similar to the structure of the adrenal cortex can be seen near the adrenal glands or in the abdominal plexus, called paraadrenal glands or cortical bodies; they are rare in humans.

The blood supply of blood vessels, lymph and neuroadrenal glands is extremely rich. Arteries are supplied by the adrenal glands, middle and lower arteries, and they originate from the inferior iliac artery, abdominal aorta and renal artery. The three groups of arteries are divided into fibrous sacs from the small branch to the adrenal gland, which kiss each other to form a plexus. From the plexus, the cortical branch and the medullary branch are supplied, supplying the cortical bands and the medulla. The blood in the sinusoids is output through the small and central veins, and flows into the left renal vein and the inferior vena cava via the left and right adrenal veins, respectively. Capillary lymphatics in the glands gradually aggregate into a larger lymphatic output, and finally enter the lumbar lymph nodes. The nerves are mainly initiated by the abdominal plexus, and the phrenic plexus and adrenal plexus are distributed. The preganglionic fibers of the sympathetic nerve form an adrenal plexus on the inner side of the adrenal gland, which branches through the fibrous sac to form the subcystic plexus of the adrenal gland. The subcystic plexus then branches out to the blood vessels, medulla chromaffin cells, and sympathetic ganglion cells to make it secretion.