Unit 21 - The Urinary System Flashcards
There are several organs included in the “urinary system”.
a. Kidneys
b. Ureters
c. Urinary bladder
d. Urethra
The kidneys filter waste products from the bloodstream and convert the filtrate into _____
“urine”.
The ureters, urinary bladder, and the urethra are collectively known as the _____
because they transport the urine out of the body
“urinary tract”
The kidneys control the volume of interstitial fluid and blood under the direction of certain hormones
True
1) As the kidneys filter the blood, they are also indirectly measuring the oxygen
level in the blood.
2) If blood oxygen levels are reduced, cells in the kidney secrete a hormone called
________
“erythropoietin” (EPO).
Erythropoietin acts on stem cells in the _____ to increase erythrocyte production
bone marrow
The kidneys are _____ since only their anterior surface is covered with the parietal peritoneum and their posterior aspect lies directly against the posterior
abdominal wall
retroperitoneal
The superior pole of each kidney is about the level of the __ vertebra and the inferior pole is about the level of the ____ vertebra
T12, L3
The right kidney is positioned about 2 cm inferior to the left kidney to accommodate the large size of the liver.
True
An ___ rests on the superior surface of each kidney
adrenal gland
The kidney has a concave medial border called the ____ where vessels, nerves, and the ureter connect to the kidney.
“hilum”
Each kidney is surrounded and supported by several tissue layers:
The innermost layer is the “fibrous capsule”
The next layer is “perinephric fat” (adipose capsule),
The “renal fascia” is external to the perinephric fat and is composed of dense irregular connective tissue.
The “paranephric fat” is the outermost layer surrounding the kidney.
The _____ maintains the kidneys shape, protects it from trauma, and helps prevent infectious pathogens from entering the kidney.
fibrous capsule
This layer, which is also called perirenal fat, completely surrounds the kidney and offers cushioning and insulation
“perinephric fat”
This layer anchors the kidney to the posterior abdominal wall and the parietal peritoneum
“renal fascia”
It is composed of adipose connective tissue and lies between the renal fascia and the parietal peritoneum.
“paranephric fat”
When a kidney is sectioned along a coronal plane an outer ____ and an inner ____ can be seen
“renal cortex”, “renal medulla”
The medulla tends to be a darker shade than the cortex.
True
Extensions of the cortex, called _____, project into the medulla and subdivide it into _____
“renal columns”, “renal pyramids”
An adult kidney contains ____ renal pyramids.
8-15
The wide base of a renal pyramid lies at the external edge of the medulla where the cortex and medulla meet
True
The apex (tip) of the renal pyramid, which is called the _____ projects towards the renal pelvis.
“renal papilla”
Each renal papilla projects into a funnel-shaped space called the ____
“minor calyx”
There are between 8-15 minor calyces, in other words, one minor calyx for each renal papilla
True
Several minor calyces merge to form larger spaces called _____
“major calyces”.
Each kidney typically contains ____ major calyces.
two to three
Urine from the renal pyramids is collected by the minor calyces and then drained into the major calyces
True
The major calyces merge to form a large, funnel-shaped _____, which collects urine and transports it to the ureter
“renal pelvis”
Sometimes a physician needs to visualize the kidneys, ureters, and urinary bladder, especially when the flow of urine from one or both of the kidneys into the bladder becomes blocked. A physician may ask for an x-ray study known as an ______, which is produced by injecting a small amount of radiopaque dye into a vein
intravenous (IV) pyelogram
A human kidney is divided into 8-15 _____”
“renal lobes
A renal lobe consists of a medullary pyramid and some cortical substance from the
renal columns adjacent to it on either side, as well as the cortex external to the
pyramid base
True
Blood is carried to a kidney in a _____, which generally arises and extends from the lateral region of the abdominal aorta at the level of the first or second lumbar
vertebra
“renal artery”
Arising from the renal artery are additional arteries that branch, and branch again,
to bring blood to the microscopic filtering structures _____ within the kidney.
(nephrons)
Venous drainage from the tissues of the kidney eventually merge to form the _____
“renal vein”.
refers to greatly diminished or absent renal function caused by the destruction of about 90% of the tissue in the kidney.
Renal failure
the two main treatments for renal failure are ____
dialysis or a kidney transplant.
a catheter is permanently placed in the peritoneal cavity, to which a bag of dialysis fluid can be attached externally. As this fluid enters the peritoneal cavity, harmful waste products are transferred, or dialyzed, from the blood into the fluid. After several hours, the fluid is drained from the peritoneal cavity and replaced with fresh fluid.
peritoneal dialysis
the patient’s blood is cycled through a machine that filters the waste products across a specially designed membrane. The patient must remain stationary for the time it takes to cycle the blood through the dialysis unit while the metabolic waste products are removed.
hemodialysis
The kidney is generally removed from the donor by a laparoscopic procedure that removes the kidney through the umbilicus (navel, or belly button) after making a single small incision
Kidney Transplant
A kidney transplant from a genetically similar person may successfully restore renal function
True
The replacement kidney is attached to an artery and vein in the inferior abdominopelvic region, where it is relatively easy to establish a vascular connection.
inferior abdominopelvic
The new kidney rests either on the superior surface of, or immediately lateral to, the urinary bladder.
The diseased kidney is not removed.
True
Each kidney is innervated by a mass of sensory and autonomic nervous system fibers
collectively called the _____
“renal plexus”.
The renal plexus accompanies each renal artery and enters the kidney through the
______
hilum.