micturition Flashcards
what is micturition?
the act of urination (emptying the bladder)
broken down into:
- Urine made in kidneys (formed continuously at a rate of 1ml.min-1 in normally hydrated subjects)
- Urine stored in bladder
- Urine released from bladder
what is the renal pelvis?
funnel-like dilated proximal part of the ureter in the kidney
kidney to bladder - movement
- urine passes from collecting ducts of renal tubules into the renal pelvis
- contraction of the smooth muscle of the pelvis aids movement of urine into the ureter
- urine enters the ureter, ureter becomes distended - circular smooth muscle then contracts
- this contraction closes the junction between the pelvis and the ureter, and pushes urine further into the ureter, causing distention and further contraction
- peristaltic waves are initiated and propagated along the length of ureter until it propels urine into the bladder
- ureters open at an oblique angle to the wall of the bladder
- ureteric peristalsis is myogenic in origin, NOT under CNS control
- coordination required between peristalsis and changing urine volume
- ureter opens up into bladder, flap which closes when the bladder is full, preventing urine from going back up into the ureter
ureters open at an oblique angle to the wall of the bladder - why?
helps ensure that when pressure within bladder rises, the ureters are compressed so preventing reflux of urine back up into the ureters
ureteric peristalsis is myogenic in origin - what does this mean?
- not under CNS control
- originating in smooth muscle, -ureters function normally when their extrinsic nerves are cut, so neural control by CNS not important
Kidney Stones
- most common disorder of urinary tract & develop from crystals that separate from urine within urinary tract
- normal urine contains inhibitors (citrate) to prevent this
- calcium is present in 80% of stones, usually as calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate. others made up of uric acid/struvite/cystine
- more common in men than women due to testosterone
- NOT the same as gall stones
what are kidney stones caused by?
- poor urine output/obstruction
- altered urinary pH
- low concentration of inhibitors
- infection
- excess dietary intake of stone-forming substances
Ureterolithiasis
disease where kidney stones form and become lodged in the ureters
symptoms of ureterolithiasis
- Dysuria (painful urination)
- Haematuria
- Loin pain/back pain
- Reduced urine flow
- Urinary tract obstruction: pressure rises because of continuing peristaltic contractions, causing considerable pain “renal colic”
- if stone approaches tip of urethra – intense pain can inhibit micturition – “strangury”
how can the bladder be almost empty or contain up to 400ml without much of an increase in pressure?
because of its spherical structure - even though tension in the wall may increase as bladder fills, so does the radius, which means tension is spread out over a greater area
structure of the bladder
- mucosal lining
- transitional epithelium - muscle coat
- made up of bundles of smooth muscle interlacing and running in various directions, considered as a single structure known as the detrusor muscle, great ability to expand. - outlet of bladder into urethra -guarded by 2 sphincters: internal and external
transitional epithelium
capable of stretching without damage and consists of (plaque) ridges that flatten out as bladder fills, increaseing the SA)
very impermeable to salts and water, so no exchange between urine and capillaries of bladder wall
trigone
the mucosal layer is generally loosely attached to underlying muscle except at the base of the bladder – entrance of 2 ureters and exit of urethra form a triangle – the trigone – where mucosa is firmly attached – thickest and least distensible part of bladder
internal sphincter
- smooth muscle
- NOT under voluntary control
- formed by a loop of muscle that is extension of the detrusor, such that when the detrusor contracts, the fibres forming this loop shortens and opens the sphincter
external sphincter
- skeletal muscle
- 2 striated muscles (compressor urethrae & bulbocavernosus) surrounding urethra
- these muscles are responsible for continence (control urine output for whenever it is socially convenient)
- under conscious, voluntary control
females vs males (functioning with sphincters)
females require both sphincters for effective continence, males manage with either sphincter intact because of different anatomical arrangement concerning the urethra
female and male bladder
females: shorter urethra, simpler structure, only carries urine
males: carries urine and semen
females: need both internal and external sphincters to be closed properly for continence. external sphincter muscle is poorly developed and women are more prone to incontinence particularly after childbirth
males: don’t need both the sphincters to work well. the urethra continues through the penis – urine remaining in urethra can be expelled by contractions of the bulbocavernosus muscles
Lower urinary tract innervated by…..
3 sets of peripheral nerves
- parasympathetic (pelvic nerve)
- sympathetic (hypogastric nerve)
- somatic nervous system (pudendal nerve)