Session 1: Intro To Urinary System Anatomy Flashcards
At what level are the kidneys located?
T11/T12 — L2/L3
What are the ureters made of?
Smooth muscle
What is the point of a pyramid in the kidney called?
Papillae
In which part of the kidney are the collecting ducts located?
Medulla
What is a nephron composed of?
A glomerulus and a tubule
Where is the renal pelvis?
Superior region of the ureter
How is the kidney an endocrine organ?
Synthesises renin, erythropoietin and prostaglandins
Which body fluid compartment does the kidneys directly regulate?
Extracellular fluid
Which structure forms the stripes of the renal pyramids?
The collecting ducts
What drives the process of filtration in the kidneys?
High pressure and leaky capillaries
In which region of the kidney does reabsorption mainly occur?
Proximal convoluted tubule
Why are the epithelial cells of the tubules described as polarised?
The populations of transporters on membranes of either side of the cells are different
Which membrane is the Na+/K+ transporter located on?
Basolateral membrane
What is the main function of the loop of henle?
Creating a gradient of increasing osmolarity
Which region of the nephron does ADH mainly act on?
The collecting duct
What vessel supplies the kidneys with blood?
Renal artery (sometimes accessory renal arteries also)
Which additional aberrant arteries may also sometimes supply the kidneys?
Superior mesenteric
Suprarenal
Testicular/ovarian
At what level does the ureter cross the pelvic brim?
The level of the sacroiliac joint
What is the phrase ‘water under the bridge’ used to describe?
The ureter passing under the uterine artery in females
What structure does the ureter run under in males?
Ductus deferens
What is the muscle of the bladder called?
The detrusor muscle
In which area of the bladder is there no rugae?
Within the trigone
What shape is the bladder when empty?
A tetrahedron
What is the interuteric fold?
A ridge in the bladder between two urethral openings
What attaches at the apex of the bladder?
The urachus
Name the 3 layers of connective tissue surrounding the kidneys
Renal fascia
Perinephric fat
Fibrous capsule
What vessels does the renal artery bifurcate into?
Segmental arteries
What artery runs along the renal columns?
Interlobar artery
Where in the kidney do the arcuate arteries run?
Along the superior border of the renal pyramids
