277CHAPTER7
Urinary System
OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Describe the type of medical treatment urologists and nephrologists provide.
- Identify urinary structures by labeling them on anatomical illustrations.
- Describe the primary functions of the urinary system.
- Describe diseases, conditions, and procedures related to the urinary system.
- Apply your word-building skills by constructing medical terms related to the urinary system.
- Describe common abbreviations and symbols related to the urinary system.
- Recognize, define, pronounce, and spell terms correctly.
- Demonstrate your knowledge of this chapter by successfully completing the frames, reviews,
and medical report evaluations.
MEDICAL SPECIALTIES
Urology
Physicians who specialize in diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the female and the male urinary systems are called
urologists.Because some urinary structures in the male perform a dual role (both urinary functions and reproductive
functions), the urologist also treats male reproductive disorders. These male disorders include but are not limited to
treatment of bladder cancer, infertility, and sexual dysfunctions. Generally, the urologist performs surgery, and treats
urination problems, such as difficulty holding urine (incontinence) or obstruction or urinary flow due to tumors or
stones in the urinary organs. Also, they manage male reproductive disorders, such as impotence (erectile dysfunction).
Other types of urologists include, the urogynecologistwho specializes in treating urinary problems involving the
female reproductive system, and the pediatric urologistwho specializes in diagnosing and treating urinary problems
in children.
Nephrology
The medical specialty of nephrology is a subspecialty of internal medicine. Nephrologistsprovide diagnostic evalua-
tion and ongoing care of patients with medical disorders related to the kidneys. These include but are not limited to
chronic kidney disease, diabetic kidney disease, complicated hypertension, inherited renal disease, such as polycystic
kidney disease, kidney stone prevention, pre- and post-kidney transplantation, and excess fluid accumulation, and
problems with electrolyte and mineral metabolism. They also supervise the provision of dialysis services to individuals
whose kidneys have deteriorated to the point that their lives would be in jeopardy without renal replacement therapy,
a problem commonly known as end-stage renal disease (ESRD).