Ureteral Disorders

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Basics

• Summary
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• Diagnosis and Tests

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• Specifics
• Genetics

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Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
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For You

• Children
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Your kidneys make urine by filtering wastes and extra water from your blood. The urine travels from the kidneys to the bladder in two thin tubes called ureters.

The ureters are about 8 to 10 inches long. Muscles in the ureter walls tighten and relax to force urine down and away from the kidneys. Small amounts of urine flow from the ureters into the bladder about every 10 to 15 seconds.

Sometimes the ureters can become blocked or injured. This can block the flow of urine to the bladder. If urine stands still or backs up the ureter, you may get a urinary tract infections.

Doctors diagnose problems with the ureters using different tests. These include urine tests, x-rays, and examination of the ureter with a scope called a cystoscope. Treatment depends on the cause of the problem. It may include medicines and, in severe cases, surgery.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Start Here

• Urinary Tract and How It Works (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Cystoscopy and Ureteroscopy (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Imaging of the Urinary Tract (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Intravenous Pyelogram (IVP) (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• General Information about Transitional Cell Cancer of the Renal Pelvis and Ureter (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Vesicoureteral Reflux (VUR) (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

Genetics

• Congenital anomalies of kidney and urinary tract: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Retroperitoneal fibrosis: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Ureteral Diseases (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Ureteral Neoplasms (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Laparoscopic ureteroneocystostomy in the treatment of urinary incontinence due to ectopy...
• Article: Clinical factors distinguishing renal infarction from acute pyelonephritis: A randomly matched...
• Article: Preoperative stricture length measurement does not predict postoperative outcomes in robotic...
• Ureteral Disorders -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Kidneys and Urinary Tract (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Children

• Hydronephrosis in Newborns (National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse) Also in Spanish
• Vesicoureteral Reflux (VUR) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Injury - kidney and ureter (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Retroperitoneal fibrosis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Ureteral reimplantation surgery - children (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Ureteral retrograde brush biopsy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Ureterocele (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish