In each adrenal the venous blood is collected in the central vein which exits the gland through the suprarenal hilum and becomes the left (or right) suprarenal vein. Renal artery → Inferior suprarenal artery Inferior phrenic artery → Superior suprarenal artery Adult adrenal glands weigh about five to seven grams. Both adrenals are located at about the level of the 11 th/12 th thoracic vertebra and enclosed by a vascularized capsule of connective tissue made up of collagen fibers and smooth muscle cells. The topography of the right adrenal relates to the liver and inferior vena cava, while the left adrenal reaches the spleen and is separated from the posterior gastric wall by the lesser peritoneal sac. The posterior aspect of both adrenals abuts the lumbar aspect of the diaphragm. The anterior aspect of the left adrenal is completely covered with peritoneum, while the latter covers only the inferior aspect of the right adrenal. The left adrenal resembles a crescent, while the right gland is mitral shaped. Since they are flattened along the posteroanterior axis, they have clearly distinct anterior and posterior aspects. The paired adrenals are located superior to the superior poles of the kidneys, separated only by a thin layer of fatty tissue.

(1) Adrenal gland, (2) Left kidney, (3) Abdominal aorta (4) Inferior phrenic arteries, (5) Superior suprarenal arteries, (6) Middle suprarenal arteries, (7) Inferior suprarenal arteries, (8) Aberrant accessory renal artery, (9) Renal arteries, (10) Testicular arteries

Kidney and adrenal gland anatomy