5) The Genitourinary System Flashcards
What is the pelvis?
- The pelvis consists of two hip bones along with the lower part of the vertebral column, sacrum (located next to the vertebral column) and the coccyx (below the spinal column)
- They form a basin like structure
What is the pelvic inlet?
- The hole at the centre of the superior part of the pelvis.
- Anything below the pelvic inlet is said to be in the pelvis and anything above is said to be in the abdominal cavity
What is the true pelvis?
- The part of the pelvis that is located below the pelvic inlet (in the pelvic region)
- It consists of the ischium and the pubis
What is the false pelvis?
- The parts of the pelvis located above the pelvic inlet (in the abdominal region)
- It consists mainly of the ilium
- It helps support abdominal contents and also helps guide the foetus into the true pelvis during labour
How is the false pelvis held in place?
- The false pelvis is bounded posteriorly by the lumbar vertebrae,
- The false pelvis is bounded laterally by the iliac fossae and the iliac muscles
- The false pelvis is bounded anteriorly by the lower part of the anterior abdominal wall
How are the two hip bones joined together?
- A cartilaginous joint called the pubic symphysis
What is the pubic crest?
- A roughened surface found on the superior surface of the pubic bone
What is the pubic tubercle?
- Laterally (to the side) of the pubic symphysis there are bumps known as the pubic tubercles
What is the pubic arch?
- The arch made by the inferior surface of the pubic bone and is continuous with the hip bone at the ischium
What are the ischial tuberosities?
- Bumpy area on the lower surface of the ischium which the part of the pelvis that we sit on
- It sits in the perineal region outside of the pelvic cavity
What is the anterior superior iliac spine?
- There is a broad crest on the superior part of ileum has which can be palpated (called the iliac crest)
- If we follow this crest anteriorly we find it terminates at its more anterior point called the anterior superior iliac spine
- It acts as a site of attachment for important ligament structures
What are the different parts of the hip bone?
- The ilium (superior part of the hip bone)
- Ischium
- Pubis
What is the ilium?
- The broad parts of the hip bone which can be palpated
What is the iliac fossa?
- The depression found in the iliac bone
- It contains iliacus muscle
What is the acetabulum?
- It is a socket/indentation in the hip bone where the head of the femur/bone of the thigh articulates with the hip joint
- It is formed by all three bones/regions fused together
Describe the orientation of the pelvis.
- The posterior part of the pelvic cavity is deeper than the anterior part of the pelvic cavity
- It is curved where the pubic tubercle is in line (the same plane as) with the anterior superior iliac spine
What is the pelvic floor?
- A big muscular sheet which separates the pelvic cavity from the perineum
What is the perineum?
- The area below the pelvic cavity where the external genitalia is attached to the body
What is the pelvic outlet?
- The lower margin of the pelvis.
- It does not have a smooth line but rather has three wide notches which are the pubic arch (anteriorly) and the sciatic nodes (laterally)
- Anything below this is said to be in the perineum
How is the pelvic outlet held in place?
- It is bonded posteriorly by the coccyx
- It is bonded laterally by the ischial tuberosities
- it is bonded anteriorly by the pubic arch
How do blood vessels pass from the pelvic region to the perineal region?
- First they pass out of the spinal chord via the greater sciatic foramen.
- They travel through the lesser sciatic foramen, under the pelvic floor and into the perineum.
What is the greater sciatic notch?
- A notch at the back of the hip bone which forms the greater sciatic foramen with the help of a ligament
- It is the most superior notch found opposite to the anterior superior iliac spine
What is the lesser sciatic notch?
- A notch at the back of the hip bone which forms the lesser sciatic foramen with the help of a ligament
- It is the most inferior notch found below the greater sciatic notch
- The bottom of the notch marks the end of the margin of the pelvic outlet
What is the ischial spine?
- A bony protrusion that separates the two sciatic notches.
- There are ligaments that join to the ischial spine which form the two sciatic foramina
What is the different between the male and female pubic arch?
- The pubic arch is taller and narrower in the male pubic arches
- The pubic arch is smaller and wider in female pubic arches
(This difference is because in childbirth there is movement in the pubic symphysis to allow the foetus to pass through the pelvic outlet)
What is the different in the shape of the pelvic inlet between males and females?
- In males it is said to be heart shaped whereas in females it is more oval shaped.
- In females this difference changes the shape which gives the female pelvis its distinct shape which helps during childbirth
How does the formation of the pelvis take place?
- First the ischium and the pubis fuse together to form the ischiopubic ramus
- Next the ilium fuses to the ischiopubic ramus at the acetabulum
What are the different parts of the urinary tract?
- The kidneys
- The ureters
- The urinary bladder
- Urethra
What is the function of the kidneys?
- Excrete waste products of metabolism as urine
- Water and electrolyte balance in the body
- Maintaining acid-base balance of the blood
What is the function of the ureters?
- Transports urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder
What is the function of the urinary bladder?
- Stores urine before it is excreted
What is the function of the urethra?
- Excretes urine
What vein drains into the reproductive organs?
- The left and right gonadal (testicular/ovarian depending on gender) vein
- These veins drains into the left and right renal veins where it blood then flows into the inferior vena cava
Where are the adrenal glands found?
- They sit on the superior surface of the kidneys and share the blood supply and venous drainage of the kidneys