Chapter 16 - Urinary System
The urinary system (also known as the renal system) consists of the kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder, and the urethra. Its main function is the production, storage, and expulsion of urine.
Kidney
The kidney is involved in the formation of urine and regulation of pressure, volume, and pH of blood.
Nephrons are the functional units of the kidney. Each nephron includes a filter, called the renal corpuscle, and a single, long tubule through which the filtrate passes before emerging as urine.
The renal tubules of a nephron consist of a proximal tubule, loop of Henle, and distal tubule.
Renal Vasculature
Despite their relatively small size, the kidneys receive almost 20% of the cardiac output.
Urinary Bladder
The urinary bladder is a muscular sac that stores urine, allowing urination to be infrequent and voluntary. It is lined by transitional epithelium (urothelium).
