Ureter

A muscular tube that carries urine from a kidney’s renal pelvis to the bladder. Its rhythmic contractions move urine independently of gravity.

Peristalsis: Waves of smooth-muscle contraction that propel contents through a hollow organ. Ureteral peristalsis pushes urine toward the bladder even when body position changes.
Kidney: An organ that filters blood, regulates fluid and electrolyte balance, and produces urine. Each ureter begins at the outlet of a kidney’s urine-collecting system.
Ureteral stone: A urinary stone lodged within a ureter, often causing pain and obstructing urine flow. A stone can block this narrow tube and trigger waves of severe flank pain.
Urethra: The tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body. Unlike the ureter, it carries urine out of the bladder rather than into it.
Ureterovesical junction: The point where a ureter passes through the bladder wall and opens into the bladder. Its oblique passage helps prevent urine from flowing backward during bladder contraction.
Renal pelvis: A funnel-shaped cavity in the kidney that collects urine from the major calyces and drains into the ureter. It forms the ureter’s upper connection at the ureteropelvic junction.
Ureteral stricture: An abnormal narrowing of the ureter that can impede urine drainage. Scar tissue or congenital narrowing can obstruct the ureter and back up urine.
Nephrolithiasis: The formation or presence of stones in the kidney or urinary tract. A kidney stone becomes a ureteral stone only after it enters and lodges in the ureter.
Ureteral smooth muscle: Involuntary muscle tissue in the ureter wall that contracts to move urine. Coordinated contractions of this tissue generate ureteral peristalsis.
Urinary bladder: A hollow muscular organ that stores urine before it leaves the body. The ureter delivers urine into the bladder for temporary storage.

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