The Urinary System is a system of organs that produces and excretes urine from the body.

Urine is a transparent yellow fluid containing unwanted wastes, mostly excess water, salts, and nitrogen compounds. The major organs of the urinary system are the kidneys, a pair of bean-shaped organs that continuously filter substances from the blood and produce urine. Urine flows from the kidneys through two long, thin tubes called ureters. With the aid of gravity and wavelike contractions, the ureters transport the urine to the bladder, a muscular vessel. The normal adult bladder can store up to about 0.5 liter (1 pt) of urine, which it excretes through the tubelike urethra. An average adult produces about 1.5 liters (3 pt) of urine each day, and the body needs, at a minimum, to excrete about 0.5 liter (1 pint) of urine daily to get rid of its waste products. Excessive or inadequate production of urine may indicate illness and doctors often use urinalysis (examination of a patients urine) as part of diagnosing disease. For instance, the presence of glucose, or blood sugar, in the urine is a sign of diabetes mellitus; bacteria in the urine signal an infection of the urinary system; and red blood cells in the urine may indicate cancer of the urinary tract.

Functions of the urinary system


Excretion. The kidneys are the major excretory organs of the body. They remove waste products, many of which are toxic, from the blood. Most waste products are metabolic by products of cells and substances absorbed from the intestine. The skin, liver, lungs, and intestines eliminate some of these waste products, but they cannot compensate if the kidneys fail to function.

    

Blood volume control. The kidneys play an essential role in controlling blood volume by regulating the volume of water removed from the blood to produce urine. Ion concentration regulation. The kidneys help regulate the concentrate of the major ion in the body fluids. pH regulation. The kidneys help regulate the pH of the body fluids. Buffers in the blood and the respiratory system also play important roles in the regulation of pH. Red blood cell concentration. The kidneys participate in the regulation of red blood cell production and, therefore, in controlling the concentration of red blood cells in the blood. Vitamin D synthesis. The kidneys, along with the skin and the liver, participate in the synthesis of vitamin D.

Kidneys
The kidneys are bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a tightly clenched fist. They lie on the posterior abdominal wall, behind the peritoneum, with one kidney on either side of the vertebral column. Structures that are behind the peritoneum are said to be retroperitoneal. The kidneys are abundantly supplied with blood vessels- they process blood the kidneys receive 20 25% of the resting cardiac output via the right and left renal arteries. In adults, blood flow through both kidneys (renal blood flow) is about 1200 ml per minute

Function of the kidneys

   
Regulation of blood ionic composition Regulation of blood pH Regulation of blood volume Regulation of blood pressure

   

Maintenance of blood osmolarity Production of hormones Regulation of blood glucose level Excretion of wastes and foreign substances

Three layers of tissue surround each kidney


The renal capsule. The deep layer, smooth, transparent sheet of dense irregular connective tissue. Serves as a barrier against trauma and helps maintain the shape of the kidneys. Continuous with the outer coat of the ureter.

 

The adipose capsule. Middle layer, a mass of fatty tissue surrounding the renal capsule. Protects kidney from trauma and holds it firmly in place in the abdominal cavity. The renal fascia. The superficial layer, thin layer of dense irregular connective tissue. anchors the kidney to surrounding structures and to the abdominal wall

Internal anatomy of the kidneys

Two regions  
The renal cortex - superficial, smooth-textured reddish area The renal medulla deep, reddish-brown inner region. Consists of 8 to 18 cone-shaped renal pyramids

Renal pyramids. The base faces the renal cortex. The apex (renal papilla) points toward the renal hilum Renal columns. Portions of the renal cortex that extend between renal pyramids Renal lobe. A renal pyramind + its overlying area of renal cortex + 1/2 of each adjacent renal column The parenchyma. The functional portion of the kidney. Consists of the renal cortex and renal pyramids of the renal medulla. Contains about 1 million mircoscopic structures called nephrons.

Ureters
The ureters are two slender tubes that run from the sides of the kidneys to the bladder. Their function is to transport urine from the kidneys to the bladder.

Bladder
The bladder is a muscular organ and serves as a reservoir for urine. Located just behind the pubic bone, it can extend well up into the abdominal cavity when full. Near the outlet of the bladder is a small muscle called the internal sphincter, which contract involuntarily to prevent the emptying of the bladder?

Urethra
The urethra is a tube that extends from the bladder to the outside world. It is through this tube that urine is eliminated from the body.