Based on the best selling text: An Introduction to Medical Terminology for Health Care (Fifth edition) by A.R.Hutton published by Elsevier Ltd
The interactive learning material in this unit is arranged into four sections. Click on a section and scroll down the page completing the exercises in the sequence they are presented:
Note: FlashCards for revision of this unit are at the end of Section 3.
A short list of abbreviations, pathological conditions, clinical procedures and laboratory tests associated with the urinary system is available from the:Word Check.
Back to IMT Topic ListThe main components of the urinary system are the kidneys that remove metabolic wastes from the blood and form them into urine. This yellow liquid is passed from the kidneys through the ureters to the bladder where it is stored. Periodically urine is passed from the body through the urethra during urination. Besides removing waste substances that could be toxic to the body, the kidneys maintain the volume of water in the blood and regulate its salt content and pH; continuous activity of the kidneys is required to maintain life.
First look at the position of the main components of the urinary system by completing Anatomy Exercise 1:
Now look at Root 1:
| Root 1 | Ur- | from a Greek word ouron meaning urine. Here ur/o means the urinary tract or urine. |
| Combining form | Ur/o | urine, urinary tract |
The study of diseases of the urinary system is known as urology and the specialist who deals with these problems is a consultant urologist. The combining form ur/o will also be used later in this unit to mean urine.