5.1 – Introduction to the Urinary System
Learning Objectives
- Identify the anatomy and describe the main functions of the urinary system
- Analyze, translate, and define medical terms and common abbreviations of the urinary system
- Practice the spelling and pronunciation of urinary system medical terminology
- Identify the medical specialties associated with the urinary system and explore common diseases, disorders, diagnostic tests and procedures
Urinary System Word Parts
Click on prefixes, combining forms, and suffixes to reveal a list of word parts to memorize for the urinary system.
Urinary System Word Parts
Prefix
- a- (absence of, without)
- an– (absence of, without)
- dia- (through, complete)
- dys– (painful, abnormal, difficult, laboured)
- poly– (many, much)
Combining Forms
- albumin/o (albumin)
- azot/o (urea, nitrogen)
- blast/o (developing cell, germ cell)
- cyst/o (bladder, sac)
- glomerul/o (glomerulus)
- glyc/o (sugar)
- glycos/o (sugar)
- hydr/o (water)
- lith/o (stone, calculus)
- meat/o (meatus)
- nephr/o (kidney)
- noct/i (night)
- olig/o (few, scanty)
- pyel/o (renal pelvis)
- ren/o (kidney)
- ureter/o (ureter)
- urethr/o (urethra)
- urin/o (urine, urinary tract)
- ur/o (urine, urinary tract)
- vesic/o (bladder, sac)
Suffix
- –al (pertaining to)
- –ary (pertaining to)
- –cele (hernia, protrusion)
- –emia (in the blood)
- –gram (the record, radiographic image)
- –graph (instrument used to record)
- –graphy (process of recording, radiographic imaging)
- –iasis (condition)
- –esis (condition)
- –itis (inflammation)
- –lith (stone)
- –lysis (loosening, dissolution, separating)
- –megaly (enlarged, enlargement)
- –oma (tumour, swelling)
- –osis (abnormal condition)
- –ptosis (drooping, sagging, prolapse)
- –rrhaphy (suturing, repairing)
- –scope (instrument used for visual examination)
- –scopic (pertaining to visual examination)
- –scopy (visual examination)
- –stomy (creation of an artificial opening)
- –tomy (cut into, incision)
- –tripsy (surgical crushing)
- –uria (urine, urination)
Activity source: Urinary System Word Parts by Kimberlee Carter, from Building a Medical Terminology Foundation, licensed under CC BY 4.0./ Text version added.
Introduction to the Urinary System
The urinary system has roles you may be well aware of. Cleansing the blood and ridding the body of wastes probably come to mind. However, there are additional, equally important functions, played by the system. For example, regulation of pH, a function shared with the lungs and the buffers in the blood. Additionally, the regulation of blood pressure is a role shared with the heart and blood vessels. What about regulating the concentration of solutes in the blood? Did you know that the kidney is important in determining the concentration of red blood cells? Eighty-five percent of the erythropoietin (EPO) produced to stimulate red blood cell production is produced in the kidneys. The kidneys also perform the final synthesis step of vitamin D production, converting calcidiol to calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D. If the kidneys fail, these functions are compromised or lost altogether, with devastating effects on homeostasis.
Watch Urinary System, Part 1: Crash Course Anatomy & Physiology #38 (10 min) on YouTube
Media 5.1: CrashCourse. (2015, October 12). Urinary system, part 1: Crash Course anatomy & physiology #38 [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/l128tW1H5a8
Urinary System Medical Terms
Urinary System Medical Terms
- albuminuria
- albumin/uria
- albumin in the urine
- azotemia
- azot/emia
- urea in the blood
- cystectomy
- cyst/ectomy
- excision of the bladder
- cystolithotomy
- cyst/o/lith/o/tomy
- incision into the bladder to remove stone(s)
- cystorrhaphy
- cyst/o/rrhaphy
- suturing the bladder
- cystostomy
- cyst/o/stomy
- creation of an artificial opening into the bladder
- cystotomy
- cyst/o/tomy
- incision into the bladder
- cystogram
- cyst/o/gram
- radiographic image of the bladder
- cystography
- cyst/o/graphy
- radiographic imaging of the bladder
- cystoscope
- cyst/o/scope
- instrument used for visual examination of the bladder
- cystoscopy
- cyst/o/scopy
- visual examination of the bladder
- cystitis
- cyst/itis
- inflammation of the bladder
- cystocele
- cyst/o/cele
- protrusion of the bladder
- cystolith
- cyst/o/lith
- stone(s) in the bladder
- glomerulonephritis
- glomerul/o/nephr/itis
- inflammation of the gomeruli of the kidney
- glycosuria
- glycos/uria
- sugar (glucose) in the urine
- hydronephrosis
- hydro/nephr/osis
- abnormal condition of water in the kidney
- lithotripsy
- lith/o/tripsy
- surgical crushing of stone(s)
- meatotomy
- meat/o/tomy
- incision into the meatus
- meatal
- meat/al
- pertaining to the meatus
- nephritis
- nephr/itis
- inflammation of the kidney
- nephrolithiasis
- nephr/o/lith/iasis
- condition of stone(s) in the kidney
- nephroma
- nephr/oma
- tumour of kidney
- nephromegaly
- nephr/o/megaly
- enlarged kidney
- nephroptosis
- nephr/o/ptosis
- drooping kidney
- nephrectomy
- nephr/ectomy
- excision of the kidney
- nephrolitotomy
- nephr/o/lith/o/tomy
- incision into the kidney to remove stone(s)
- nephrolithotripsy
- nephr/o/lith/o/tripsy
- surgical crushing of stone(s) in the kidney
- nephrolysis
- nephr/o/lysis
- separating the kidney (from body structures)
- nephropexy
- nephr/o/pexy
- surgical fixation of the kidney
- nephrostomy
- nephr/o/stomy
- creation of an artificial opening into the kidney
- nephrography
- nephr/o/graphy
- radiographic imaging of the kidney
- nephroscopy
- nephr/o/scopy
- process of viewing the kidney
- nephrosonography
- nephr/o/son/o/graphy
- process of recording the kidney using sound
- nephrologist
- nephr/o/logist
- specialist who studies and treats disease and disorders of the kidney
- nephrology
- nephr/o/logy
- study of the kidney
- nocturia
- noct/uria
- night urination
- oliguria
- olig/uria
- scanty urine (output)
- pyelitis
- pyel/itis
- inflammation of the renal pelvis
- pyelonephritis
- pyel/o/nephr/itis
- inflammation of the renal pelvis and the kidney
- pyelolithotomy
- pyel/o/lith/o/tomy
- incision into the renal pelvis
- pyeloplasty
- pyel/o/plasty
- surgical repair of the renal pelvis
- renogram
- ren/o/gram
- radiogrphaic record of the kidney
- ureteritis
- ureter/itis
- inflammation of the ureter
- ureterectomy
- ureter/ectomy
- excision of the ureter
- ureterostomy
- ureter/o/stomy
- creation of an artificial opening into the ureter
- ureterocele
- ureter/o/cele
- protrusion of a ureter
- ureterolithiasis
- ureter/o/lith/iasis
- condition of stone(s) in the ureter
- ureterostenosis
- ureter/o/stenosis
- narrowing of the ureter
- ureteroscopy
- ureter/o/scopy
- visual examination of the ureter(s)
- urethrocystitis
- urethr/o/cyst/itis
- inflammation of the urethra and the bladder
- anuria
- an/uria
- absence of urine
- diuresis
- di/ur/esis
- condition of urine passing through
(increased excretion of urine)
- dysuria
- dys/uria
- difficult or painful urine
- urinary
- urin/ary
- pertaining to urine
- retrograde urogram
- retrograde ur/o/gram
- radiographic image of the urinary tract
- ureteroscopy
- ureter/o/scopy
- visual examination of the ureter(s)
- urogram
- ur/o/gram
- radiographic image of the urinary tract
- hematuria
- hemat/uria
- blood in the urine
- polyuria
- poly/uria
- excessive urine
- pyuria
- py/uria
- pus in the urine
- urinary
- urin/ary
- pertaining to urine
- urologist
- ur/o/logist
- physician who studies and treats diseases of the urinary tract
- urology
- ur/o/logy
- study of the urinary tract
- vesicotomy
- vesic/o/tomy
- inciscion into the bladder
Activity Source: Urinary System Medical Terms by Kimberlee Carter, from Building a Medical Terminology Foundation, licensed under CC BY 4.0./ Text version added.
Attribution
Except where otherwise noted, this chapter is adapted from “Urinary System” in Building a Medical Terminology Foundation by Kimberlee Carter and Marie Rutherford, licensed under CC BY 4.0. / A derivative of Betts et al., which can be accessed for free from Anatomy and Physiology (OpenStax). Adaptations: dividing Urinary System chapter content into sub-chapters.
pH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline a substance is, as determined by the number of free hydrogen ions in the substance.
the minor component in a solution
biological process that results in stable equilibrium