Urethra
The tube that leads from the bladder and transports and discharges urine outside the body. In males, the urethra travels through the penis and carries semen as well as urine. In females, the urethra is shorter than in the male, and it emerges above the vaginal opening.
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- Urethral sphincter
the internal and external urinary sphincters. Part of the muscular bladder wall acts as the internal urethral sphincter and prevents urine from leaving the bladder to enter the urethra. This sphincter cannot be willfully controlled but is under involuntary control by the brain. A layer of muscle called the urogenital diaphragm supplies support for the […]
- Urethritis
Inflammation of the urethra, the tube that leads from the bladder to the outside of the body. Urethritis can have a number of causes, including irritation and sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia. Urethritis is closely associated with bacterial infection of the bladder (cystitis).
- Urethroscope
A device for examining the inside of the urethra.
- Urge incontinence
A sudden involuntary contraction of the muscular wall of the bladder causing urinary urgency, an immediate unstoppable urge to urinate. It is a form of urinary incontinence (the unintentional loss of urine) and affects about 1 in 11 adults, particularly older adults. Treatment may include pelvic muscle strengthening, behavioral therapy, and medications. Also called overactive […]
- Urgency, urinary
An immediate unstoppable urge to urinate, due to a sudden involuntary contraction of the muscular wall of the bladder.