AAP Urinary System

Question 1

What does the urinary system consist of?

Answer 1

• paired kidneys
• paired ureters
• urinary bladder
• urethra

Question 2

Where are the kidneys located?

Answer 2

• dorsal abdominal area
• between peritoneum and muscles at the back (outside the peritoneal cavity)
• right kidney is more cranial than the left in most domestic animals (except the pig)

Question 3

What kind of shape do the kidneys possess?

Answer 3

• bean-shaped structure in most domestic animals

except in cattle –> lobulated structures

Question 4

What surrounds the kidneys and what is its function?

Answer 4

• thick peri-renal fat

- to protect the kidneys from the pressures exerted by surrounding organs

Question 5

What is the immediate surface of kidneys covered with?

Answer 5

• peritoneum

Question 6

What is the hilus?

Answer 6

• indented area in the medial side

- at the hilus, ureters, nerves, blood and lymph vessels enter and leave the kidney

Question 7

What is the renal pelvis?

Answer 7

• funnel-shaped area

- forms the beginning of the ureter

Question 8

What is the renal cortex?

Answer 8

• outer portion of the kidney

Question 9

What is the renal medulla?

Answer 9

• inner portion around the renal pelvis

- very dark red in colour in real life

Question 10

What is the basic functional unit of the kidneys called?

Answer 10

Nephron

Question 11

What does the nephron consist of?

Answer 11

• renal corpuscle
• proximal convoluted tubule (PCT)
• loop of Henle
• distal convoluted tubule (DCT)

Question 12

What is the function of the renal corpuscle?

Answer 12

• filters blood in the first stage of urine formation

- fluid filtered out of the blood is known as the glomerular filtrate

Question 13

What is the renal corpuscle made up of?

Answer 13

• glomerulus (cluster of capillaries for blood filtration)
• Bowman’s capsule (wraps around the glomerulus)
• Capsular space (space inside the capsule –> between the Bowman’s capsule and Glomerulus)

Question 14

What is the proximal convoluted tubule?

Answer 14

• continuation of the capsular space
• twist and path through the cortex
• glomerular filtrate enters PCT to become tubular filtrate

Question 15

What is the loop of Henle?

Answer 15

• long, U-shaped portion of the tubule
• descends from the PCT into medulla (descending LOH)
• turning and heading upward back into cortex (ascending LOH)

Question 16

What is the distal convoluted tubule?

Answer 16

• continuation of ascending LOH
• DCT from all nephrons empty into collecting ducts
• Collecting ducts carry tubular filtrate through the medulla and empty into the renal pelvis
• primary site of action of ADH (antidiuretic hormone)

Question 17

What is the function of afferent glomerular arterioles?

Answer 17

• carries blood into the glomerular capillaries of renal corpuscle

Question 18

What is the function of the glomerular capillaries?

Answer 18

• filter some of the plasma out of the blood and into the capsular space of Bowman’s capsule

Question 19

What is the function of efferent glomerular arterioles?

Answer 19

• receive blood from glomerular capillaries

Question 20

What processes occur in the peritubular capillaries?

Answer 20

• oxygen supply to tubules
• tubular reabsorption
• tubular secretion

Question 21

What happens when efferent glomerular arterioles divide further?

Answer 21

• form the peritubular capillaries

- which are the small capillaries surrounding the tubules

Question 22

The peritubular capillaries converge to form?

Answer 22

• form larger veins
• and eventually the renal vein
• renal vein leaves the kidney at the hilus and joins the caudal vena cava

Question 23

Revise identifying the different parts of the kidney on Anki !

Answer 23

done !