The renal fascia is a layer of connective tissue

Connective tissue

"Connective tissue" is a fibrous tissue. It is one of the four traditional classes of tissues . Connective Tissue is found throughout the body.In fact the whole framework of the skeleton and the different specialized connective tissues from the crown of the head to the toes determine the form of...

 encapsulating the kidney

Kidney

The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...

s. The deeper layers below the renal fascia are, in order, the perinephric fat (or "perirenal fat"), renal capsule

Renal capsule

The renal capsule is a tough fibrous layer surrounding the kidney and covered in a thick layer of perinephric adipose tissue. It provides some protection from trauma and damage....

, and finally the parenchyma of the renal cortex

Renal cortex

The renal cortex is the outer portion of the kidney between the renal capsule and the renal medulla. In the adult, it forms a continuous smooth outer zone with a number of projections that extend down between the pyramids. It contains the renal corpuscles and the renal tubules except for parts of...

. The spaces about the kidney are typically divided into three compartments: the perinephric space and anterior and posterior pararenal spaces.

• The perinephric space surrounding the kidneys, adrenal glands and the perinephric fat.

• The fascia anterior to the perinephric space has historically been termed Gerota's
  Dimitrie Gerota
  Dimitrie D. Gerota , Romanian anatomist, physician, radiologist, urologist, and an associated member of the Romanian Academy from 1916.-Biography:...
  
   fascia. Anterior to this fascia is the anterior pararenal space which contains the pancreas
  Pancreas
  The pancreas is a gland organ in the digestive and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine gland producing several important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin, as well as a digestive organ, secreting pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes that assist...
  
  , ascending and descending colon
  Colon (anatomy)
  The colon is the last part of the digestive system in most vertebrates; it extracts water and salt from solid wastes before they are eliminated from the body, and is the site in which flora-aided fermentation of unabsorbed material occurs. Unlike the small intestine, the colon does not play a...
  
  , and second through fourth parts of the duodenum
  Duodenum
  The duodenum is the first section of the small intestine in most higher vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles, and birds. In fish, the divisions of the small intestine are not as clear and the terms anterior intestine or proximal intestine may be used instead of duodenum...
  
  .

• The fascia posterior to the perinephric space was named Zuckerkandl's fascia
  Zuckerkandl's fascia
  Zuckerkandl's fascia or fascia retrorenalis is a fibrous sheath covering the posterior side of the kidney. It constitutes the posterior layer of the renal fascia and was first described by Emil Zuckerkandl in 1883.....
  
  . Posterior to this lies the posterior paranephric space which does not contain any abdominal organs.

The anterior fascia and posterior fascia fuse laterally to form the lateroconal fascia.