Capillary loops located in the medulla are also known as _________.

Question

Options

• AVasa recta
• BUrea collectors
• CTrigone
• DMacula densa

• A
  71% (29)
• B
  10% (4)
• C
  2% (1)
• D
  17% (7)

Explanation

Vasa recta are the straight capillary loops that dip into the renal medulla alongside the loops of Henle, playing a critical role in the countercurrent exchange mechanism that allows the kidney to concentrate urine.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• B. Urea collectors - not a real anatomical term; urea is recycled in the medulla but no structure is called this.
• C. Trigone - a triangular region on the inner wall of the bladder, defined by the two ureteral openings and the urethral opening; entirely unrelated to capillaries.
• D. Macula densa - a cluster of specialized cells in the distal tubule that senses sodium concentration and regulates renin release (part of the juxtaglomerular apparatus), not a capillary structure.

Memory tip: "Vasa recta" is Latin for "straight vessels" - think of them as straight straws plunging down into the medulla, running parallel to the loop of Henle. If you remember straight vessels → medulla, you'll never confuse them with the glomerular capillaries (which are coiled/rounded, sitting in the cortex).

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