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Human biology lecture notes about the organization of the urinary system.
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Lecture 11Organization of the
Urinary System
B Curr II HUB228 2022
Dept. Medical Biosciences
University of the Western Cape
, Functions of the Urinary System
principle organs = kidneys; accessory organs = ureters, urinary
bladder, urethra (“conducting system”)
1.Excretion
– filters blood & forms urine to remove:
a) organic waste products generated by cells
b) foreign substances e.g. drugs, pesticides and ingested chemicals
2.Regulation of:
– blood volume & pressure by producing large volumes of diluted urine or
small volumes of concentrated urine
– concentration of solutes in the blood, e.g. Na+, Cl-, K+, Ca2+, HCO3- and
HPO4-2
– pH of the extracellular fluid by secreting H+ or HCO3- into nephron
3.Hormonal function
– synthesis of blood cells by secreting erythropoietin
– synthesis of vitamin D (calcitriol), which plays NB role in controlling
blood levels of Ca2+
– synthesis of the enzyme renin
, Location of the Kidneys
• kidneys lie on either side of the
vertebral column, between T12
and L3 (vertebrae)
• superior poles of both kidneys
extend above level of 12th rib &
lower edge of thoracic parietal
pleura – to avoid a possible
pneumothorax from occurring
during a renal biopsy, tissue is
removed from lower poles
• the right kidney is usually a
little lower than the left,
presumably because the liver
takes up some of the space
above the right kidney
• the left kidney is often slightly
larger than the right
, External Anatomy of the Kidneys
• located between the parietal
peritoneum and the muscles of
the dorsal body wall, in a
retroperitoneal position
• 3 layers of supportive tissue
surrounds the kidneys
1. Renal capsule
- connective tissue layer that
surrounds each kidney
2. Perirenal fat
- surrounds renal capsule & act as
shock absorber to protect kidneys
from mechanical shock
3. Renal fascia
- thin connective tissue layer that
surrounds and anchors kidneys
& fat to abdominal wall
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