Hypertensive kidney disease this situation, the kidney supplied blood by the narrowed renal artery suffers from inadequate blood flow, which in turn causes the size of the kidneys to decrease. Other consequences include arterial stiffening, which involves a gradual breakdown of elastic fibers and intima (the innermost layer of a blood vessel) thickening. An alternative mechanism of hypertensive nephropathy is prolonged glomerular hypertension and hence glomerular hyperfiltration. These can occur simultaneously but not necessarily. The idea is that hypertension results in sclerosis of the glomeruli which ultimately means reduced kidney function. As a compensatory mechanism, the unaffected nephrons (specifically, the preglomerular arterioles) vasodilate
Intersegmental artery Intersegmental artery The intersegmental arteries are a set of 30 arteries arising from the embryonic dorsal aorta, with each artery providing blood supply to one somite and its derivatives. The cervical intersegmental arteries merge into the vertebral artery with the exception of the 7th (or possibly the 6th) cervical intersegmental artery, which becomes the subclavian artery. The confusion arises because the vertebral artery drains into the subclavian artery following the disappearance of the dorsal aortae in part of the cervical region. The thoracic intersegmental arteries all develop into the intercostal arteries. The lumbar intersegmental arteries develop into the lumbar arteries,