The renal artery divides into anterior and posterior divisions, creating a relatively avascular plane called the avascular plane of Brödel. This plane is the border between the anterior 2/3 and posterior 1/3 of the kideny, approximately 2-3 cm posterior to the lateral border of the kidney. Being relatively avascular, it is the optimal plane for needle insertion.
Update (for Joshua): An image of the kidney with a nice description can be found at
RadioGraphics
References
Dyer RB, Regan JD, Kavanagh PV, Khatod EG, Chen MY, Zagoria RJ. Percutaneous nephrostomy with extensions of the technique: step by step. Radiographics. 2002 May-Jun;22(3):503-25.
after reading the above paragraph, i couldn't imagine where is the plane.
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