Chapter 6 Urinary System Pathology and Procedures

anuria

Condition of no urine.

dysuria

Condition of painful urination.

enuresis

Also commonly known as “bed-wetting,” enuresis can be nocturnal (at night) or diurnal (during the day).

extrarenal uremia

Excessive urea in blood (uremia) due to kidney failure caused by disease outside the kidney (e.g., congestive heart failure).

extravasation of urine

Condition of urine leaking outside the bladder and into surrounding tissues. May be due to trauma or a stone formed within and blocking the urinary tract.

hematuria

Blood in the urine.

incontinence, urinary

Inability to hold urine.

nocturia

Condition of excessive urination at night.

oliguria

Condition of scanty urination.

polyuria

Condition of excessive urination.

retention, urinary

Inability to release urine.

vesical tenesmus

Bladder spasms.

acute nephritic syndrome

Hypertension, hematuria, and proteinuria (protein in the urine) resulting from damage to the glomeruli.

nephrotic syndrome

Abnormal group of signs in the kidney, characterized by proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia (abnormally low levels of albumin in the blood) and edema; may occur in glomerular disease and as a complication of many systemic diseases (e.g., diabetes mellitus). Also called nephrosis.

hydronephrosis

Dilation of the renal pelvis and calices of one or both kidneys resulting from obstruction of the flow of urine.

pyelonephritis

Bacterial or viral infection of the kidneys and renal pelvis.

pyonephrosis

Pyogenic (pus-producing) infection of the kidney.

vesicoureteral reflux

Abnormal backflow of urine from the bladder to the ureter, usually associated with a urinary tract disorder and caused by congenital urethral malformation.

renal failure

Inability of the kidneys to excrete wastes, concentrate urine, and conserve electrolytes. May be acute or chronic.

acute renal failure (ARF)

Sudden inability of the kidneys to excrete wastes, resulting from hemorrhage, trauma, burns, toxic injury to the kidney, pyelonephritis or glomerulonephritis, or lower urinary tract obstruction. Characterized by oliguria and rapid azotemia.

chronic kidney disease (CKD) (formerly chronic renal failure)

CKD is measured in stages of increasing severity, from 1 (mild damage with a normal glomerular filtration rate) to 5 (complete kidney failure requiring either dialysis or renal transplant). Stage 5 is also called end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and is the most extreme form of CKD.

urolithiasis

Stones (calculi) anywhere in the urinary tract, but usually in the renal pelvis or urinary bladder. Depending on where the stone is located, the term is nephrolithiasis (kidney), ureterolithiasis (ureter), cystolithiasis (urinary bladder) or urethrolithiasis (urethra).Usually formed in patients with an excess of the mineral calcium. Also called urinary calculi.

nephrogenic diabetes insipidus

A form of diabetes insipidus caused by a defect in the renal tubules causing them to be unresponsive to antidiuretic hormone (ADH). This not the same as diabetes insipidus, which is a lack of secretion of ADH.

nephropathy

Disease of the kidneys; a general term that does not specify a disorder.

nephroptosis

Prolapse or sagging of the kidney that occurs when the patient stands from a sitting position. Also called renal ptosis.

cystitis

Inflammation of the urinary bladder.

interstitial cystitis (IC)

A painful inflammation of the wall of the bladder. Symptoms include urinary frequency and urgency.

trigonitis

Inflammation of the bladder between the inlet of the ureters and outlet of the urethra.

urethral stricture

Narrowing of the urethra. Also called urethral stenosis.

urethritis

Inflammation of the urethra.

urinary tract infection (UTI)

Infection anywhere in the urinary system, caused most commonly by bacteria, but also by parasites, yeast, and protozoa (sing. protozoon). Most frequently occurring disorder in the urinary system.

renal adenoma

Small, slow-growing, glandular, noncancerous tumors of the kidney, usually found at autopsy.

renal oncocytoma

The most common benign solid renal tumor. These tumors are without signs or symptoms and are often discovered incidentally (by accident) on diagnostic imaging for another disorder.

transitional cell papilloma

Also referred to as bladder papilloma. Although this type of tumor is benign when found, recurrences are occasionally malignant.

nephroblastoma

Also called Wilm’s tumor, these tumors develop from kidney cells that did not develop fully before a child’s birth. These cancerous tumors of the kidney occur mainly in children.

renal cell carcinoma

Also referred to as hypernephroma or adenocarcinoma of the kidney, this is one of the most common cancers. Although the cause is unknown, risk factors include smoking and obesity.

transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder.

These malignant tumors account for approximately 90% of all bladder cancers and arise from the cells lining the bladder.

cystectomy

Cutting out part or all of the urinary bladder.

cystolithotomy

Incision to cut a stone out of the urinary bladder.

cystoscopy

Visual examination of the urinary bladder using a cystoscope.

lithotripsy

Process of crushing stones either to prevent or clear an obstruction in the urinary system; crushing may be done manually, by high-energy shock waves, or by pulsed dye laser. In each case, the fragments may be expelled naturally or washed out. Use of shock waves is termed extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL).

meatotomy

Incision of the urinary meatus to widen the opening.

nephrectomy

Resection of the kidney.

nephrolithotomy

Incision of the kidney for removal of a kidney stone.

nephropexy

Suspension or fixation of the kidney.

nephrostomy

New opening and/or dilation of opening made in the kidney so that a catheter can be inserted.

nephrotomy

Incision of the kidney.

pyeloplasty

Surgical operation to repair a blockage between the renal pelvis and ureter.

renal dialysis

Process of diffusing blood across a semipermeable membrane to remove substances that a healthy kidney would eliminate, including poisons, drugs, urea, uric acid, and creatinine.

continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD)

Type of renal dialysis in which an indwelling catheter in the abdomen permits fluid to drain into and out of the peritoneal cavity to cleanse the blood.

hemodialysis (HD)

Type of renal dialysis that cleanses the blood by shunting it from the body through a machine for diffusion and ultrafiltration and then returning it to the patient’s circulation.

renal transplant

Surgical transfer of a complete kidney from a donor to a receipient.

urethrolysis

Destruction of adhesions of the urethra.

urinalysis (UA)

The physical, chemical, and/or microscopic examination of urine.

blood urea nitrogen (BUN)

Blood test measures the amount of nitrogenous waste in the circulatory system; an increased level is an indicator of kidney dysfunction.

creatinine clearance test

Test of kidney function that measures the rate at which nitrogenous waste is removed from the blood by comparing its concentration in the blood and urine over a 24-hour period.

glomerular filtration rate (GFR)

The amount of blood that is filtered by the glomeruli of the kidneys. This rate is decreased when the kidneys are dysfunctional.

vesicotomy

Incision of the urinary bladder.