What is "efferent arteriole"

n. (context anatomy English) Any of the many minute blood vessels formed by the merging of the capillaries of the glomerulus that conduct blood away from it.

The efferent arterioles are blood vessels that are part of the urinary tract of organisms. The efferent arterioles form from a convergence of the capillaries of the glomerulus. They play an important role in maintaining the glomerular filtration rate despite fluctuations in blood pressure.

In the mammalian kidney they follow two markedly different courses, depending on the location of the glomeruli from which they arise.

In the mammalian kidney about 15% of glomeruli lie close to the boundary between the renal cortex and renal medulla and are known as juxtamedullary glomeruli. The rest are simply undifferentiated cortical glomeruli.