Body Parts

Kidneys

Two bean-shaped organs located on each side of the vertebral column on the posterior wall of the abdominal cavity behind the parietal peritoneum.  Their function is to remove waste products from the blood and to aid in maintaining water and electrolyte balances.

Nephron

Urine-producing microscopic structure.  Approximately 1 million nephrons are located in each kidney.

Glomerulus (pl. Glomeruli)

Cluster of capillaries at the entrance of the nephron.  The process of filtering the blood, thereby forming urine, begins here.

Renal pelvis

Funnel-shaped reservoir that collects the urine and passes it to the ureter.

Hilum

Indentation on the medial side of the kidney where the ureter leaves the kidney.

Ureters

Two slender tubes, approximately 10 to 13 inches (26 to 33 cm) long, that receive the urine from the kidneys and carry it to the posterior portion of the bladder.

Urinary bladder

Muscular, hollow organ that temporarily holds the urine.  As it fills, the thick, muscular wall becomes thinner, and the organ increases in size.

Urethra

Lowest part of the urinary tract, through which the urine passes from the urinary bladder to the outside of the body.  This narrow tube varies in length by sex.  It is 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) long in the female and 8 inches (20 cm) in the male, in whom it is also part of the reproductive system.  It carries seminal fluid (semen) at the time of ejaculation.

Urinary meatus

Opening through which the urine passes to the outside.

Combining Forms

albumin/o

albumin

azot/o

urea, nitrogen

blast/o

developing cell, germ cell

cyst/o, vesic/o

bladder, sac

glomerul/o

glomerulus

glyc/o, glycos/o

sugar

hydr/o

water

lith/o

stone, calculus

meat/o

meatus (opening)

nephr/o, ren/o

kidney

noct/i

night

olig/o

scanty, few

pyel/o

renal pelvis

son/o

sound

tom/o

cut, section

ureter/o

ureter

urethr/o

urethra

urin/o, ur/o

urine, urinary tract

Suffixes

-iasis,-esis

condition

-lysis

loosening, dissolution, separating

-megaly

enlargement

-ptosis

drooping, sagging, prolapse

-rrhaphy

suturing, repairing

-tripsy

surgical crushing

-trophy

nourishment, development

-uria

urine, urination

Medical Terms – not built from word parts

Blood urea nitrogen

A blood test that measures the amount of urea in the blood.  Used to determine kidney function.  An increased BUN indicates renal dysfunction.

Catheter

Flexible, tube-like device, such as a urinary catheter, for withdrawing or instilling fluids.

Creatinine

A blood test that measures the amount of creatinine in the blood.  An elevated amount indicates impaired kidney function.

Distended

Stretched out (a bladder is distended when filled with urine).

Diuretic

Agent that increases the formation and excretion of urine.

Enuresis

Involuntary urination (bed-wetting).

Epispadias

Congenital defect in which the urinary meatus is located on the upper surface of the penis.

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy

A non-invasive treatment for removal of kidney or ureteral stone(s).  By using ultrasound and fluoroscopic imaging, the stone is positioned at a focal point.  Repeated firing of shock waves renders the stone into fragments that pass from the body in the urine (also called shock wave lithotripsy [SWL]).

Fulguration

Destruction of living tissue with an electric spark (a method commonly used to remove bladder growths).

Hemodialysis

Procedure for removing impurities from the blood because of an inability of the kidneys to do so.

Hypospadias

Congenital defect in which the urinary meatus is located on the underside of the penis; a similar defect can occur in the female.

Incontinence

Inability to control bladder and/or bowels.

KUB (kidney, ureter, and bladder)

A simple x-ray image of the abdomen.  It is often used to view the kidneys, ureters, and bladder to determine size, shape, and location.  Also used to identify calculi in the kidney ureters or bladder or to diagnose intestinal obstruction.

Micturate

To urinate or void.

Peritoneal dialysis

Procedure for removing toxic wastes when the kidney is unable to do so; the peritoneal cavity is used as the receptacle for the fluid used in the dialysis.

Polycystic kidney disease

Condition in which the kidney contains many cysts and is enlarged.

Renal calculi

Stones in the kidney.

Renal hypertension

Elevated blood pressure resulting from kidney disease.

Renal transplant

Surgical implantation of a donor kidney to replace a non-functioning kidney.

Sepsis

A condition in which pathogenic microorganisms, usually bacteria, enter the bloodstream, causing a systemic inflammatory response to the infection (also called septicemia).

Specific gravity

A test performed on a urine specimen to measure the concentrating or diluting ability of the kidneys.

Stricture

Abnormal narrowing, such as a urethral stricture.

Urinal

Receptacle for urine.

Urinalysis

Multiple routine tests performed on a urine specimen.

Urinary catheterization

Passage of a catheter into the urinary bladder to withdraw urine.

Urinary retention

Abnormal accumulation of urine in the bladder because of an inability to urinate.

Urinary suppression

Sudden stoppage of urine formation.

Urinary tract infection

Infection of one or more organs of the urinary tract.

Urodynamics

Pertaining to the force and flow of urine within the urinary tract.

Void

To empty or evacuate waste material, especially urine.

Abbreviations

BUN

blood urea nitrogen

cath

catheterization, catheter

ESWL

extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy

HD

hemodialysis

IVP

intravenous pyelogram

IVU

intravenous urogram

KUB

kidney, ureter, bladder

SG

specific gravity

UA

urinalysis

UTI

urinary tract infection

VCUG

voiding cystourethrogram