Ureter

The ureter ( ureter Latin, from Greek Ουρητήρας ) is one of the paired urinary tract and connects the kidney to the bladder. It is produced in the fetus from the ureteric bud.

Course

Ureter begins at the renal pelvis, a sort of funnel where the concentrated and filtered by the kidney urine is collected. In this case, the ureter bends by approximately 90 °. It then passes under the peritoneum ( retroperitoneal ) on the back wall of the abdominal cavity via the two terminal branches of the aorta of time ( the area of ​​the bifurcation of the common iliac artery into the external iliac artery and interna) and empties into the urinary bladder. After his entry into the bladder, the ureteral orifice, it runs for a short distance within the bladder wall ( intramural ), which at higher filling of the bladder, reflux ( reflux ) to the kidneys is largely prevented. This intramural course of the disease in the bladder mucosa two converging folds ( columnae uretericae, uretericae continued as plicae ), the ( vesical trigone ) the trigone region limit.

Ureterkreuzungen

On his way he crosses to the musculus psoas major testicular or ovarian vessels ( A. / testicular vein or A. / ovarian vein ), further caudally in its course it crosses the common iliac artery or external iliac artery and in the small pool he crosses shortly before his entry into the wall of the bladder the vas deferens or the uterine artery.

Ureterengen

On these three points

• Output from the renal pelvis,
• Crossing the common iliac artery and the external iliac artery and
• Entry into the urinary bladder

Narrows the urethra. Often the location at which the balls or ovarian vessels cross the ureter is indicated as a fourth constriction.

Histology

The ureter shows the typical structure of a membranous - muscular tube with an inner mucous membrane ( tunica mucosa, mucosa ), a muscular layer (tunica muscularis ) consists of smooth muscle and an outer connective tissue anchoring layer (tunica adventitia ).

In horses in the mucosa of the top part as well as in the renal pelvis, mucous glands ( glands uretericae ) stored. Therefore Pferdeharn is viscous - ropy.

Diseases

Often get stuck kidney stones at the above bottlenecks. By spasmodic muscular actions of the ureter tried the stones continue to carry, what is perceived as (kidney ) colic. In older people, the ureter can be filled with stones. These stones have a different size, the largest stone is then referred to as a pilot stone.

In chronic infections is whitish plaques can build up on the urethral wall, which is called Malacoplakia.

As a system disorders come Ureterabgangsengen, a staggered or extended mouth of the bladder ( ectopic ureter, ureterocele ) and partial or complete duplex units of the ureter before ( ureter fissus, Ureter ). Irregular mouth or drainage disorders can lead to reflux and inflammation, which damage the kidney or to an extension of the urethra may result ( hydroureter ).