The kidneys connect to the bladder with a small tube called a ureter. Some medical conditions, such as kidney stones, can cause an obstruction in the kidney or the ureter. Kidney stents, also called ureteral stents, are thin, flexible, hollow...
Hydronephrosis is characterized by a warping or ballooning of the renal pelvis and calyxes in the kidney, caused by increased pressure inside the kidney due to a blockage to the free flow of urine. The renal pelvis is a funnel-like tube that forms...
Many of Americans present with kidney stones, with 5 percent of women and 12 percent of men reporting stones at some time in their life, according to Andrew Evan, a kidney stone researcher. Kidney stones require passage from the kidney via the...
Urinary tract infections in infants are rare, affecting between 1 and 5 percent of newborns. In this age group, symptoms of urinary tract infection are nonspecific, and include temperature instability, vomiting or feeding intolerance,...
If your infant's urine has a smell that is odd or very different from usual, there is a good chance he may have developed a urinary tract infection, or UTI. Additional nonspecific signs may include fever, fussiness, lack of appetite and traces of...
A stent is a tube that is inserted into a duct or tubular structure in the body, such as an artery, to hold it open. The procedure is called stenting. Stents can help prevent or counteract localized flow constriction and also allow access for...
Urine formed in the kidneys travels through the ureters to the urinary bladder for storage until passed from the body. The ureters contain one-way valves, which normally prevent urine backflow. Ureteral valve defects permit retrograde urinary flow...
If your child is diagnosed with vesicoureteral reflux, a condition in which urine washes back up through the ureters and possibly into the kidneys, the primary treatment will require daily low doses of antibiotics. Your child will take...
Children's Hospital Boston explains that normally urine in the body flows from the kidneys down through the ureters and into the bladder. When something unusual happens in the urinary tract that prevents the urine from draining into or out of the...
An infection of the urinary tract is one that occurs when too much bacteria thrive inside the kidneys, ureters, bladder or urethra and reproduce. Some symptoms of a UTI, as indicated by the Kids Health website, include pain when urinating, fever,...
Kidney stones occur when small hard deposits develop within the kidneys, according to the MayoClinic.com. These stones typically consist of mineral and acid salts. Kidney stones form for many reasons, but most the common cause is dehydration. When...
A hysterectomy is the removal of either part of the uterus or the full uterus, and it may include the surgical removal of the fallopian tubes, ovaries, cervix and part of the vagina. This procedure results in a cessation of menstrual periods and...
Cystoscopy is a urologic procedure where a doctor inspects the inside of the bladder with a scope. The cystoscopic procedure can evaluate recurrent infections, check the prostate, look for bladder polyps and investigate urinary bleeding. It is...
The urinary system includes the kidneys, the urerters, the bladder and the urethra. The kidneys filter the blood to make urine. The ureters transfer the urine to the bladder where the urine is stored, and the urethra expells urine from the body....
Kidney stones, or nephrolithiasis, are an uncommon illness during pregnancy. The majority of stones consist of calcium-containing crystals. As one of the most common causes of abdominal pain in pregnant patients in the second and third...
Kidney disorders may occur for a variety of reasons. Hydronephrosis is a type of swelling in one or both kidneys that occurs as the result of another condition, making it a symptom of a disorder or disease, rather than a specific illness. Certain...
A stent is small tube made of a metal or fabric mesh that is inserted into the body to improve the flow of fluids---usually blood through a blood vessel. Doctors place kidney stents in the renal arteries, the blood vessels that carry blood to the...
Kidney stones are an ancient human malady; one 7,000-year-old Egyptian mummy showed evidence of kidney stones, according to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse. In the early 1970s, less than 4 percent of the...
Kidney cancer is one of the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) top ten most common cancers. It projects there will be 58,240 new cases of kidney cancer and 13,040 deaths from this disease. Although this disease often strikes smokers and people who...
Urinary tract infections are infections in the bladder, kidneys, ureter or urethra. They cause a range of symptoms, including lower abdominal pain, fever, nausea and a burning sensation while urinating. Mustard oil derived from herbs in the same...
The kidneys, part of the body's urinary system, are important eliminatory organs---they help clean the body of wastes and toxins. They also regulate the amount of body fluids, which has an effect on blood pressure and heart health. Problems...