Urinary System & Adrenal Glands – Review Flashcards

A comprehensive set of 50 question-and-answer flashcards covering adrenal anatomy, kidney structure and function, nephron physiology, urine formation, ureters, bladder, urethra, innervation, micturition, clinical correlations, and age-related changes.

Where are the adrenal (suprarenal) glands located relative to the kidneys?

Retroperitoneal, immediately superior to the upper poles of the kidneys.

What two major regions compose each adrenal gland?

An outer cortex and an inner medulla.

Which three arteries typically supply blood to the adrenal glands?

Superior, middle, and inferior suprarenal arteries.

Are the adrenal glands part of the genitourinary system?

No, they are endocrine organs that produce hormones.

Name the three zones of the adrenal cortex.

Zona glomerulosa, zona fasciculata, and zona reticularis.

Which hormones are secreted by the adrenal medulla?

Catecholamines—epinephrine and norepinephrine.

List the organs that make up the urinary system.

2 kidneys, 2 ureters, 1 urinary bladder, and 1 urethra.

Give four key homeostatic functions of the kidneys.

Regulate extracellular fluid volume, pH, and composition; excrete urine; secrete erythropoietin; activate vitamin D; and secrete renin to help control blood pressure.

Why is the left kidney typically positioned higher than the right kidney?

Because the large right lobe of the liver displaces the right kidney inferiorly.

What is the hilum of the kidney?

The concave medial depression where the renal artery, renal vein, nerves, lymphatics, and ureter enter or exit the kidney.

Within the renal hilum, which vessel lies anterior to the renal artery?

The renal vein.

Trace blood flow from the renal artery to the afferent arteriole.

Renal artery → segmental arteries → interlobar arteries → arcuate arteries → interlobular (cortical radiate) arteries → afferent arterioles.

Which small arteries directly supply the glomeruli of nephrons?

Afferent arterioles.

Into what does the efferent arteriole of a cortical nephron immediately branch?

The peritubular capillaries/vasa recta that surround the proximal and distal convoluted tubules and loop of Henle.

What is the functional unit of the kidney?

The nephron.

What structures together form the renal corpuscle?

The glomerulus plus Bowman’s (glomerular) capsule.

What is the primary role of the glomerulus?

To filter plasma, initiating urine formation.

Which two cell groups form the juxtaglomerular apparatus (JGA)?

Juxtaglomerular (granular) cells of the afferent arteriole and macula densa cells of the distal convoluted tubule.

Name the three basic renal processes performed by the nephron.

Glomerular filtration, tubular reabsorption, and tubular secretion (followed by excretion).

Define glomerular filtration.

The movement of water and small solutes from blood in the glomerular capillaries into Bowman’s capsule.

Where does most tubular reabsorption take place?

From the renal tubular fluid into blood in the peritubular capillaries/vasa recta, especially in the proximal convoluted tubule.

Write the equation that relates filtration, reabsorption, secretion, and excretion.

Excretion = Filtration – Reabsorption + Secretion.

What is the normal adult glomerular filtration rate (GFR)?

Approximately 90 mL/min/1.73 m² or higher.

At rest, what percentage of cardiac output do the kidneys receive?

About 25 % of cardiac output.

Approximately what percentage of urine is water?

About 95 %.

Outline the flow of urine from the collecting duct to the bladder.

Collecting ducts → minor calyces → major calyces → renal pelvis → ureter → urinary bladder.

How long is each ureter and where does it join the bladder?

About 25 cm long, descending retroperitoneally to enter the posteroinferior aspect of the bladder.

List the three common ureteric constriction sites.

(1) Ureteropelvic junction (renal pelvis to ureter), (2) crossing the pelvic brim, (3) entry into the bladder wall.

Which organ stores urine before micturition?

The urinary bladder.

What is the trigone of the bladder?

A triangular area on the internal bladder floor bounded by the two ureteric orifices and the internal urethral orifice.

Which muscle in the bladder wall contracts during urination?

The detrusor muscle (smooth muscle).

Which nerve provides parasympathetic stimulation that contracts the detrusor muscle?

Pelvic (parasympathetic) nerve from the sacral segments S2–S4.

At about what bladder volume does the urge to urinate typically arise?

Roughly 150 mL of urine.

Approximately how long is the female urethra?

About 4 cm.

Why are urinary tract infections more common in females than in males?

The female urethra is shorter and closer to the anal and vaginal openings, facilitating bacterial entry.

Name the three parts of the male urethra.

Prostatic urethra, membranous urethra, and spongy (penile) urethra.

What erectile tissue surrounds the male urethra along most of its length?

The corpus spongiosum.

Define micturition.

The process of expelling urine from the bladder through urethral relaxation and detrusor contraction.

Which urethral sphincter is under voluntary (somatic) control?

The external urethral sphincter, innervated by the pudendal nerve.

What does “prerenal” refer to in kidney pathology?

Conditions affecting renal function caused by systemic or fluid issues before the kidney itself (e.g., hypovolemia).

What non-invasive procedure uses shock waves to break renal calculi?

Extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL).

Into which vein do the adrenal glands drain?

Each suprarenal vein—right drains directly into the IVC, left drains into the left renal vein.

Which structures unite to form the renal pelvis?

The major calyces.

What structures constitute the renal medulla?

Renal pyramids containing loops of Henle and collecting ducts.

Which kidney enzyme is critical for systemic blood-pressure regulation?

Renin.

Which hormone produced by the kidneys stimulates red blood cell production?

Erythropoietin.

Briefly describe lithotripsy.

A non-invasive treatment that uses focused shock waves to fragment kidney stones so they can be passed in urine.

What are renal columns?

Cortical tissue extensions that separate adjacent renal pyramids within the medulla.

State one age-related change that impairs renal function.

Decline in the number of functional nephrons and glomeruli, leading to reduced filtration capacity and increased incontinence.

Which arteries primarily supply the urinary bladder?

Branches of the internal iliac artery, especially the superior and inferior vesical arteries.