The urinary system consists of the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra and is responsible for the important bodily function of soluble waste production, storage and elimination.

The waste substances are produced in the kidney as blood filtrates, transported via the ureters to the bladder where it is stored and eventually eliminated through the urethra. This process also results in the salvaging of large amounts of water, sugars and ions from the blood filtrate which are returned to the blood. In addition, the kidneys play a role in controlling systemic blood pressure by the secretion of renin.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the organization of the kidney into lobes and lobules and their relationship to cortical and medullary areas.
• Understand the arterial input and venous drainage through the kidney’s micro vasculature.
• Understand the structure of the renal corpuscle, including podocytes, and the ultrastructure of the glomerular filter.
• Understand the locations of the various parts of the nephron with respect to cortex and medulla.
• Identify all parts of the nephron and collecting ducts in histological sections and understand how the structures of the different regions correspond to their functions.
• Recognize the structure and know the function of the juxtaglomerular apparatus.
• Identify the key structural features of the ureter, bladder, and urethra.

The basic structure of the kidney.