Urinary System Flashcards
Kidney functions
Removes metabolic waste from blood (filters blood)
Maintains fluid/water levels
Regulates acid-base and electrolyte balance
Secretes substances that effect blood pressure
The urinary system includes
Two kidneys
Two ureters
One urinary bladder
One urethra
The kidneys produce
1-2 liters of urine each day
The left kidney is
Longer, narrower, and located higher than the right kidney due to the size of the liver causing displacement
The kidneys will drop about 2” when moving
From supine to the upright position
The average adult kidney is
4.5” long
2.5” wide
A little over 1” thick
Finestrations
Lintel holes
Glomerular filtration - blood flow through the kidneys
Renal artery ¥
Affarent arterioles ¥
Glomeruli ¥
Efferent arterioles
The glomeruli, glomerular capsule, and the convuluted tubules are located in the
Cortex of the kidney
The three steps in the formation of urine
Glomerular filtration of water, sugar, wastes, and salts
Tubular reabsorption of water, sugar, and some salts
Tubular secretion of acids, potassium, and drugs
The urinary system includes
Calyces -minor -major Renal pelvis Ureter
Calyces are
Cup shaped recesses that receive urine from the collecting ducts
The smaller portions of the calyces are called
Minor calyces
Minor calyces unite to form a
Major calyx
The major calyces unite to form the
Renal pelvis
The renal pelvis exits the kidneys
And transitions into the ureter
The kidney contains
Cortex Medulla Collecting system Vasculature Renal capsule Hilum
Medulla
Collecting tubules for urine
Collecting system
Calyces and renal pelvis
Vasculature
Renal artery, renal vein
Renal capsule
Sac surrounding the kidneys
- fibrous capsule
- gerota’s capsule
The urinary system contains
2 ureters
Bladder
Ureteral valves
Urethra
Ureters enter the bladder along
The posterior wall
Ureteral valves
Allow one way flow of urine
The female urethane is about 1.5” long and the males is about 7-8” long leading to
Increased UTI risk in females than males
The urinary bladder serves as a
Reservoir which holds about 500cc of urine
The numerous mucosal folds located within the urinary bladder are called
Rugae - used for bladder expansion
Trigone
Area of bladder formed by three openings:
2 ureters
1 urethra
Congenital
Born with
80% of kidney stones are
Radiopaque due to calcium content, they can be really small just 1-2mm but VERY painful
Urinary tract obstruction
Results in anatomic and functional changes
Adults: calculi, tumors, strictures, enlarged prostate
Children: congenital malformations
Hydronophrosis
Back up of fluid in the urinary system
Mass defects, stones, and a dilated urinary system are proximal to the blockage on xray
.
Simple cysts
Common unifocal masses either fluid filled or benign
Polycystic
Inherited disorder
Multiple lobar cysts
Kidney enlargement
Renal impairment
Hypernephroma
Renal cancel most common in people 40+, originates in epithelium of renal cortex, bulging, enlargement or obstruction on xray
Renal cell carcinoma is commonly known as a
“Smokers cancer” due to the carcinogens in the blood being filtered through the kidneys and into the urine
Carcinoma of the bladder
Originates in bladder epithelium, commonly located in the trig one area, and is more common in men than women
Polypoid defects are projections into or out from the bladder wall on xray due to
Carcinoma of the bladder
Gerota’s fascia
Layer of connective tissue encapsulating the kidneys and the supra renal glands
Detrusor muscles
Urinary bladder muscles that surround the bladder whose function is to contract and squeeze
Micturition
Urination, the act of passing urine
Nephrolith
Kidney stone
Nephrolithiasis
The process of forming a kidney stone; a stone in the kidney
Nephron
Microscopic structural and functional unit of the kidney
Afferent Arteriole
Carry blood toward the glomerulus
Efferent Arteriole
Carry blood away from the glomerulus
Glomerulus
Cluster of capillaries contained within the capsule of a nephron which serves as a blood filter membrane within the kidney
Bowmans capsule/glomerular capsule
Cup like sac at the beginning of the tubular component of a nephron that performs the first step in the filtration of blood from urine
Loop of henle
Portion of a nephron that leads from the proximal to distal convoluted tubule whose function is to create a concentration gradient in h medulla of the kidney
Renal cortex
The outermost portion of the kidney where the nephrons are located
Hilum
Area where vessels enter and leave
Calyx/calyces
Cup shaped recesses that receive urine from the collecting ducts; both minor and major
Renal pelvis
Large funnel shaped area at the center of a kidney where urine flows
Ureter
(2) very narrow tubes which conveys urine from the kidney to the bladder
Urethra
Tube that connects the urinary bladder to the outside of the body
Retrograde
Backward movement/flow
Antegrade
Forward movement/flow
Intravenous pyelogram (IVP)
Xray exam of the kidneys, bladder, and ureters used to evaluate injury, infection, blood in urine, stones, tumors, etc
Unilateral renal agenesis
Single kidney, a failure of embryonic development
Supernumerary kidney
Congenital presence of a third kidney which usually possesses a complete renal pelvis, ureter, and blood supply
Hypoplastic kidney
Congenital small, underdeveloped kidney; usually normal functioning
Ectopic kidney
Abnormally positioned kidneys which may be found in a variety of locations such as the pelvis or intrathoracic region
Horseshoe kidney
Most common type of fusion anomaly where the lower poles of the kidneys are connected by an isthmus, the anterior position of ureteral versus the medial
Duplication of kidney
Duplex kidney can be seen as a bifid renal pelvis that joins into a common ureter, can be a completely duplicated renal pelvis and ureter
Ureterocele
Prolapse of the distal ureter into the bladder; the “cobra head” appearance on xray
Glomerulonephritis
Inflammatory process involving the glomeruli, increased permeability resulting in “leakage” of blood cells and protein.
Glomerulonephritis appearance on xray
Reduced parenchymel tissue and increased kidney size
Pyelonephritis
Inflammation of kidney caused by pyogenic bacteria appearing on xray as a “calyceal” clubbing
Papillary necrosis
Destructive process involving medullary papillae and renal pyramids which can result in obstructions
Papillary necrosis appearance on xray
Tea cup appearance
Cystitis
Inflammation of the urinary bladder, deceased size and irregular bladder wall on xray, more common in women than men
Percunaneous nephrostomy
IR procedure in which a puncture is made into the renal pelvis to drain urine and to remove kidney stones
Lithotripsy
Procedure using shock waves to break up stones in the kidney, bladder and ureter
Hydronephrosis
Back up flow in the urinary system
Renal calculus
Kidney stone, most commonly radiopaque due to calcium
Staghorn calculus
Large kidney stone that grows and completely fills the renal pelvis, commonly appearing gestationally
Poly cystic kidney
Inherited disorder with multiple lobar cysts, kidney enlargement, and renal impairment
Hypernephroma
Renal cancer most common in people 40+, aka smokers cancer due to the carcinogens in the blood being filtered through the kidneys and into urine
Nephroblastoma
Most common abdominal neoplasm of infancy or childhood; a highly malignant tumor large in size displayed as downward and lateral displacement on xray
Hematuria
Blood in the urine
Polyuria
Excessive or abnormally large production or passage of urine
Oliguria
Reduced urine volume or low production of urine
