Counting kidneys
Gabriel J Barrero, Oksana Polesskaya, Abraham Palmer
Published: 2022-04-21 DOI: 10.17504/protocols.io.6qpvr6k4pvmk/v1
Abstract
Dissecting and counting kidneys in rats.
Steps
1.
Rats are euthanized as per IACUC guidelines
Spray fur with ethanol. Pick up skin above the sternum, and make a cut through skin and muscle layers.
Don’t cut the chest cavity (don’t go above the diaphragm).
2. 
Cut skin and muscles from the sternum down to the lower belly. Mostly you will see liver and colon.
3. 
Gross dissection 
Representative renal anomalies observed in rats. A. Grossly normal renal development. B. Unilateral renal agenesis (URA) PloS one. 10. e0118147. 10.1371/journal.pone.0118147
Lift liver lobes and push aside fat tissue and intestines. You will see dark-colored organs – kidney and spleen.
4.
Count the number of observed kidneys and make a record in the file.
