Urinary Tract

The goal of the urinary system is to maintain volume and composition of the body fluids to keep within normal limits. This goal is accomplished by the excretion of waste products that build up as a result of cellular metabolism. Another function of the urinary system is control red blood cell production by secreting the hormone Erythropoietin. The maintenance of normal blood pressure is also a function of the urinary system by the secretion of Renin. The urinary system is made up of the kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder and the urethra.
The kidneys are the primary organs in the urinary system. The function of the kidney is to filter your blood, remove and excrete waste into urine. The kidneys are located in the twelfth thoracic and third lumbar vertebrae one on each side of the body’s vertebral columns. The right kidney is usually lower because the liver pushes the left kidney in a downward placement. The kidneys are surrounded by a thick layer of adipose tissue, called perineal fat which helps in the protection of the kidneys. Also a thick, fibrous connective tissue named renal capsule encloses each kidney to support the soft tissue inside. The kidneys contain nephron which are more that 1 million functioning units located in the cortex medulla and renal medulla to filter blood and urine formation. Blood is brought to your kidneys through renal arteries, and continues to flow at a rate of 1200 mL/ min. until it enters afferent arterioles in the blood and is then filtered through the glomerulus and leaves through different arterioles entering the veins making an exit to the renal vein and finally to the vena cava.   Connected directly to the inner side of each kidney are the ureters. Ureters are small tubes each about 10 inches long that carry urine from the renal pelvis to the urinary bladder. The ureters come down from the renal pelvis and enter the urinary bladder. The urinary bladder which is located in the pelvic cavity is used for the temporary storage of...