The Advanced EClinical Training Practice Test

The left kidney sits in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen. The abdominal area is divided into four quadrants by a vertical midline and a horizontal line through the navel, and the kidneys are retroperitoneal organs located on either side of the spine. The left kidney is positioned under the left rib cage, typically around the level of T12 to L3, and is higher than the right kidney because the liver on the right pushes the right one downward. This placement means the left kidney lies in the left upper quadrant, alongside organs like the spleen and stomach. The other quadrants don’t contain the left kidney: the right upper quadrant houses the liver and gallbladder, the left lower quadrant contains parts of the colon and sigmoid, and the right lower quadrant contains structures like the cecum and appendix.