ANATOMY - Lower Urinary Tract

Question 1

What are the three components of the lower urinary tract?

Answer 1

Paired ureters
Bladder
Urethra

Question 2

What type of epithelium lines the ureters and the bladder?

Answer 2

Transitional epithelium/urothelium

Question 3

How does urine travel along the ureters and into the bladder?

Answer 3

Urine is actively ‘milked’ along the ureters by peristaltic contractions of the smooth muscle of the ureter walls

Question 4

Why do the ureters penetrate the urinary bladder at an angle?

Answer 4

To prevent reflux of urine as the bladder fills

Question 5

What are the three main regions of the bladder?

Answer 5

Apex
Body
Neck

Question 6

What anatomical landmark can be found at the apex of the bladder?

Answer 6

Scar of Urachus

Question 7

What is the scar of urachus derived from?

Answer 7

The scar of Urachus is derived from a foetal structure which would shunt urine from the bladder into the allantois

Question 8

What is the trigone of the bladder?

Answer 8

The trigone of the bladder is the small triangular region formed by the opening of the ureters and the beginning of the urethra

Question 9

What suspends the neck of the bladder

Answer 9

The pelvic inlet

Question 10

What are the two types of ligaments which suspend the body and apex of the bladder?

Answer 10

Paired lateral ligaments
Medial ligament

Question 11

Why should you never cut through the lateral ligaments of the bladder?

Answer 11

Because the lateral ligaments of the bladder contain the umbilical arteries

Question 12

What is the collective name for the smooth muscle layers of the bladder wall?

Answer 12

Detrusor muscle

Question 13

What is the internal urethral sphincter?

Answer 13

The internal sphincter surrounds the opening of the bladder to the urethra and regulates the involuntary control of urine flow from the bladder into the urethra

Question 14

What is the external urethral sphincter?

Answer 14

The external urethral sphincter is composed of the urethralis muscle located at the distal end of the urethra and regulates voluntary control of urine flow from the bladder into the urethra

Question 15

What type of muscle is the urethralis muscle?

Answer 15

The urethralis muscle is a skeletal muscle

Question 16

Which artery supplies the apex and part of the body of the bladder?

Answer 16

The cranial vesicle artery branched from the umbilical artery supplies the apex and part of the body of the bladder

Question 17

Which artery supplies the neck and part of the body of the bladder in the female?

Answer 17

The caudal vesicle artery branched from the vaginal artery supplies the neck and part of the body of the bladder in the female

Question 18

Which artery supplies the neck and part of the body of the bladder in the male?

Answer 18

The caudal vesicle artery branched from the prostatic artery supplies the neck and part of the body of the bladder in the male

Question 19

Which artery supplies the urethra in the female?

Answer 19

The urethral artery branched from the vaginal artery supplies the urethra in the female

Question 20

Which artery supplies the urethra in the male?

Answer 20

The urethral artery branched from the prostatic artery supplies the urethra in the male

Question 21

Which nerve supplies parasympathetic innervation to the bladder?

Answer 21

Pelvic nerve supplies parasympathetic innervation to the bladder

Question 22

Which nerves supply sympathetic innervation to the bladder?

Answer 22

Paired hypogastric nerves supply sympathetic innervation to the bladder

Question 23

Which nerve supplies innervation to the voluntary control of micturition?

Answer 23

Pudendal nerve supples innervation to the voluntary control of micturition

Question 24

What is the function of the parasympathetic pelvic nerve?

Answer 24

The pelvic nerve contracts the detrusor muscle to empty the bladder

Question 25

What is the function of the sympathetic hypogastric nerves?

Answer 25

The sympathetic hypogastric nerves relax the detrusor muscle and contract the urethral smooth muscle for urinary retention

Question 26

How does the pudendal nerve control micturition?

Answer 26

The pudendal nerve regulates the contraction of the urethralis muscle

Question 27

What type of epithelium lines the urethra?

Answer 27

Stratified columnar followed by stratified cuboidal epithelium