ABSTRACT

The anatomy of the reptilian renal portal system is reviewed. Its structure is fundamentally similar in all species examined. The renal portal system functions to provide blood to tubule cells during periods of dehydration to prevent them undergoing ischaemic necrosis. Blood flows from the tail and hindlimbs through the kidneys and then on to the heart. However, anastomoses exist capable of shunting blood around the kidneys to the liver. Current data suggests that the renal portal system does not affect drug kinetics.