2. Abdomen MRI, coronal plane

The plane of imaging is through the upper lumbar vertebral bodies; note that, due to the normal lumbar lordosis, the lower lumbar vertebrae are imaged through their posterior elements and the spinal canal.

The long axis of each kidney is parallel to the adjacent psoas muscle, with the upper pole medial and superior, and the lower pole lateral and inferior. The kidneys also are tilted so that the upper pole is relatively posterior, and the lower pole relatively anterior, although this is impossible to observe on this one coronal image.