Ch. 12
Bladder
: A hollow, muscular sac that lies behind the symphysis pubis and at the midline of the pelvic cavity. It receives the urine from the ureters and stores the urine until it is eliminated from the body.
Urinary system
: Also known as the excretory system, it is responsible for removing certain wastes and excess water from the body and for maintaining the body's acid-base or pH balance.
Kidneys
Two bean-shaped organs located on either side of the vertebral column, behind the upper part of the abdominal cavity, that remove waste and excess water from the blood as urine.
Renal pelvis
s: A funnel-shaped structure that is the first section of the ureter; collecting ducts empty into it.
Void
: To urinate or micturate (eliminate urine from the body).
Hilum
A notched or indented area through which the ureter, nerves, blood vessels, and lymph vessels enter and leave the kidney.
Ureters
: Two muscular tubes approximately 10–12 inches in length that carry urine from the renal pelvis of each kidney to the bladder.
Glomerulus
): A cluster of capillaries where water, mineral salts, glucose (sugar), metabolic products, and other substances are filtered out of the blood.
Excretory system
: The system that is responsible for removing certain wastes and excess water from the body and for maintaining the body's acid-base or pH balance. (Also known as the Urinary system).
Urinary meatus
: The external opening of the urethra.
Cortex
: The outer section of the kidney. It contains most of the nephrons, which aid in the production of urine.
Nephrons
: Microscopic filtering units located in the kidneys.
Homeostasis
A state of equilibrium or constant state of natural balance in the internal environment of the body.
Medulla
: The inner section of the kidney. It contains most of the collecting tubules, which carry the urine from the nephrons through the kidney.
Urine
: The concentrated liquid (liquid waste product) that remains in the tubule after reabsorption, consisting of excess glucose and mineral salts, some water, and wastes (including urea, uric acid, and creatinine). It is approximately 95 percent water.
Urethra
: The tube that carries the urine from the bladder to the outside.
Bowman's capsule
: A C-shaped structure that surrounds the glomerulus and is the start of the convoluted tubule. It picks up the materials filtered from the blood in the glomerulus and passes them into the convoluted tubule.