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In human anatomy
Anatomy

Anatomy is a branch of biology that is the consideration of the body plan. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy and plant anatomy ....
, the ureters are muscular ducts that propel urine
Urine

Urine is a liquid waste product of the body secreted by the kidneys by a process of filtration from blood called urination and excreted through the urethra....
 from the kidney
Kidney

The kidneys are Organ that have numerous biological roles. Their primary role is to maintain the homeostasis balance of bodily fluids by filtering and secreting Metabolomics#Metabolitess and minerals from the blood and excreting them, along with water , as urine....
s to the urinary bladder
Urinary bladder

In anatomy, the urinary bladder is a solid, muscle, and distensible organ that sits on the pelvic floor in mammals. It is the organ that collects urine excreted by the kidneys prior to disposal by urination....
. In the adult, the ureters are usually long.

In humans, the ureters arise from the renal pelvis on the medial aspect of each kidney before descending towards the bladder on the front of the psoas major muscle. The ureters cross the pelvic brim near the bifurcation of the iliac arteries (which they run over).






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In human anatomy
Anatomy

Anatomy is a branch of biology that is the consideration of the body plan. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy and plant anatomy ....
, the ureters are muscular ducts that propel urine
Urine

Urine is a liquid waste product of the body secreted by the kidneys by a process of filtration from blood called urination and excreted through the urethra....
 from the kidney
Kidney

The kidneys are Organ that have numerous biological roles. Their primary role is to maintain the homeostasis balance of bodily fluids by filtering and secreting Metabolomics#Metabolitess and minerals from the blood and excreting them, along with water , as urine....
s to the urinary bladder
Urinary bladder

In anatomy, the urinary bladder is a solid, muscle, and distensible organ that sits on the pelvic floor in mammals. It is the organ that collects urine excreted by the kidneys prior to disposal by urination....
. In the adult, the ureters are usually long.

In humans, the ureters arise from the renal pelvis on the medial aspect of each kidney before descending towards the bladder on the front of the psoas major muscle. The ureters cross the pelvic brim near the bifurcation of the iliac arteries (which they run over). This "pelviureteric junction" is a common site for the impaction of kidney stones (the other being the ureterovesical valve). The ureters run posteroinferiorly on the lateral walls of the pelvis. They then curve anteriormedially to enter the bladder through the back, at the vesicoureteric junction, running within the wall of the bladder for a few centimeters. The backflow of urine is prevented by valves known as ureterovesical valves, pressure from the filling of the bladder. In the female, the ureters pass through the mesometrium
Mesometrium

The mesometrium is the mesentery of the uterus. It constitutes the majority of the broad ligament of the uterus, excluding only the portions adjacent to the uterine tube and ovary....
 on the way to the urinary bladder
Urinary bladder

In anatomy, the urinary bladder is a solid, muscle, and distensible organ that sits on the pelvic floor in mammals. It is the organ that collects urine excreted by the kidneys prior to disposal by urination....
.

Histology

The ureter has a diameter of about 3 millimeters, and the lumen is star-shaped. Like the bladder, it is lined with transitional epithelium, and contains layers of smooth muscle, thereby being under autonomic control.

The epithelial cells of the ureter are stratified (in many layers), are normally round in shape but become squamous (flat) when stretched. The lamina propria
Lamina propria

The lamina propria is a constituent of the moist linings known as mucous membranes or mucosa, which line various tubes in the body .The lamina propria is a thin layer of areolar connective tissue which lies beneath the epithelium and together with the epithelium constitutes the mucosa....
 is thick and elastic (as it is important that it is impermeable).

There are two spiral
Spiral

In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a central point, getting progressively farther away as it revolves around the point....
 layers of smooth muscle in the ureter wall, an inner loose spiral, and an outer tight spiral. The inner loose spiral is sometimes described as longitudinal, and the outer as circular, (this is the opposite to the situation in the gastrointestinal tract
Gastrointestinal tract

The digestive tract is the system of Organ s within multicellular animals that takes in food, digestion it to extract energy and nutrients, and expels the remaining waste....
). The distal third of the ureter contains another layer of outer longitudinal muscle.

The adventitia of the ureter, like elsewhere is composed of fibrous connective tissue
Fibrous connective tissue

In zootomy, fibrous connective tissue is a type of connective tissue which has relatively high tensile strength, due to a relatively high concentration of collagen or elastin fibers....
, that binds it to adjacent tissues.

Diseases and disorders

Medical problems that can affect the ureter include:
  • cancer
    Cancer

    Cancer is a class of diseases in which a group of cell display uncontrolled growth , invasion , and sometimes metastasis . These three malignant properties of cancers differentiate them from benign tumors, which are self-limited, do not invade or metastasize....
     of the ureter
  • passage of kidney stone
    Kidney stone

    Kidney stones, also called renal Calculus , are solid concretions of dissolved dietary mineral in urine; calculi typically form inside the kidneys or bladder....
    s - especially at the uteropelvic junctions, where they cross the iliac vessels and their entrance to the bladder.
  • ureterocele
    Ureterocele

    A ureterocele is a congenital abnormality found in the urinary bladder. In this condition called ureteroceles, the ureter balloons at its opening into the bladder, forming a sac-like pouch....
  • megaureter
    Megaureter

    Megaureter is an anomaly whereby the ureter is abnormally dilationd.Congenital megaureter is a curious and uncommon condition which may be bilateral and is often associated with other congenital anomalies....
  • vesico-ureteric reflux
  • anatomical abnormalities, such as duplexing and ectopia.


External links

- "Relationship of the ureter to the uterine artery." - "Mid-sagittal section of male pelvis." - "Mammal, ureter (LM, Medium)" - "Ureter"

Additional images