The kidneys are situated behind the peritoneum of the posterior
abdominal wall, largely under cover of the costal margin. The
right kidney lies lower than the left, pushed down by the liver.
In the great majority of normal subjects, the kidneys cannot be
palpated but, in a particularly thin person, the lower pole of
the right kidney may be just tipped on deep inspiration. As the
kidneys lie in the paravertebral gutter, the renal hilum faces
forwards as well as medially, while its long axis runs obliquely,
parallel to the lateral border of psoas major.