Urinary System Gross Anatomy

Question 1

describe the normal anatomical location of canine and feline kidneys

Answer 1

canine:
right kidney: sits in renal fossa of the caudate process of the caudate liver lobe; approximately T13-L2
left kidney: approximately L1-3/4

feline: kidneys more caudal than in canines
right kidney: L1-L4
left kidney: L2-L5

Question 2

recognize the normal surface appearance of canine and feline kidneys

Answer 2

feline kidneys have capsular veins (still deep to the capsule) that drain to renal veins

dogs have subcapsular veins

Question 3

recognize the normal radiographic contrast architecture of the carnivore and small ruminant kidney

Answer 3

canine pelvic recesses are normal! these are lateral folds off the renal pelvis that are folded/crinkled by the interlobar vessels and are visible during contrast dye studies

Question 4

define renal hilus

Answer 4

concavity/indentation where ureter, vessels, and nerves enter/exit the organ

Question 5

define renal sinus

Answer 5

the FAT FILLED space that surrounds the renal pelvis at the level of the hilus

Question 6

define renal crest

Answer 6

the longitudinal ridge of medulla formed by fusion of the renal medullary papillae that projects into the renal pelvis of carnivores, small ruminants, and horses

Question 7

define renal pelvis

Answer 7

the expanded initial portion of the ureter within the kidney; common cavity that receives the urine from the renal crest; located within the fat-filled renal sinus

Question 8

describe the path of the ureters (7)

Answer 8

1. drain the renal pelvis
2. exit the kidney at the hilus
3. run retroperitoneal in abdomen (behind peritoneum; not completely enclose by peritoneum)
4. in the pelvic region of
   females: ureters pass through the broad ligament and then the lateral ligaments of the urinary bladder
   males: ureters cross over the dorsal surface of the ductus deferens near the neck of the urinary bladder
5. penetrate the dorsal wall of the urinary bladder
6. travel obliquely and intramurally (through the bladder wall) before they then
7. empty into urinary bladder lumen via ureteral orifice near the neck of the bladder at the urinary trigone

Question 9

list and describe the 2 portions of the male urethra

Answer 9

1. pelvic portion: between neck of bladder to root of penis; has a prostatic component that passes through the prostate gland
2. penile portion: from root of penis to distal end of glans (external urethral orifice)

Question 10

describe the pelvic portion (the only portion) of the female urethra, plus location of external urethral orifice in bitches

Answer 10

begins at neck of bladder (internal urethral orifice) and terminates via the external urethral orifice

in bitches, the external urethral orifice is located within the urethral tubercle, a projection on the ventral floor of the vaginovestibular junction

Question 11

describe the urinary trigone boundaries

Answer 11

trigone formed by the two ureteric orifices and the internal urethral orifice

Question 12

describe the entrance of the ureters into the urinary bladder

Answer 12

ureters penetrate the dorsal wall of the urinary bladder and empty into the bladder via ureteral orifice at urinary trigone

Question 13

differentiate between the ligaments of the bladder (3)

Answer 13

1 median ligament: extends from umbilicus along the linea alba to the midventral surface of the urinary bladder; part of the ventral mesentery; urachus and umbilical arteries pass through this ligament in the fetus

2 lateral ligaments: extend from lateral walls of the pelvis to the lateral surfaces of the urinary bladder; site of fat storage; location or umbilical arteries/round ligaments of the urinary bladder

Question 14

explain what the round ligaments of the urinary bladder were in the fetus

Answer 14

round ligaments were umbilical arteries in fetus

Question 15

be familiar with the normal anatomical location of the paired kidneys in the cow and horse

Answer 15

bovine:
right kidney: found between the last (13th) rib and the first 3 lumbar transverse processes
left kidney: pushed to the right side as the rumen expands during maturation!; located caudal and ventral to right kidney, ventral to 2nd-5th lumbar transverse processes

equine:
right kidney: located by the last 3 ribs (16, 17, 18) and the 1st lumbar transverse process
left kidney: between last rib and 1st three lumbar transverse processes

Question 16

be familiar with the normal shapes and surface appearance of the equine and bovine kidneys

Answer 16

equine:
unilobar with a small pelvis and a short renal crest; extensions of the pelvis are called terminal recesses
RighT kidney is heaRT shaped because is compressed by the liver and base of the cecum

bovine: multilobar with various amounts of fusion between the lobes, resulting in a mixture of simple (no fusion) and compound (some fusion) lobes

right kidney is irregularly oval and flattened dorsoventrally; left kidney is shaped like a twisted pyramid, pointed cranially and thickened caudally

bovine does NOT have a renal pelvis like the horse; also does not have major and minor calyces like a pig; there are two primary/principle branches of the ureter (cranial and caudal) that subdivide into secondary branches, each of which end in a calyx

Question 17

explain what a urachus is

Answer 17

a fetal connection between the urinary bladder and the umbilicus that should close after birth, but may remain patent; is located within the median ligament of the urinary bladder

Question 18

list the species and sex differences for the various diverticula of the urethra

Answer 18

female cows and pigs (NOT HORSES OR CARNIVORES) have suburethral diverticula; blind pouches which must be avoided during catheterization;

male ungulates have a dorsal urethral diverticulum/urethral recess/ducts of the bulbourethral glands that impede catheterization if can get past the sigmoid flexure

Question 19

list the species that have a urethral proces

Answer 19

NOT CARNIVORES!!
stallion, bull, ram, boar, buck

Question 20

when a kidney is said to be retroperitoneal, what does this mean? does it have a capsule?

Answer 20

still have a capsule/visceral peritoneum, but on one side only; this is the case for the right kidney, which fits into the renal fossa of the caudate process of the caudate lobe of the liver