Renal Cortex

Definition: The outer shell of the kidney between the renal capsule and the renal medulla. The renal cortex contains the renal corpuscles (particularly the glomeruli) and most of the renal tubules (except for the loop of Henle). It is about 1 centimeter thick and also goes down between the renal pyramids. Many kidney diseases affect the glomeruli so the goal of a kidney biopsy is to sample this area.