Chapter 115: Ureters

Question 1

General guidance for dog diameter of ureter is 0.07 x length of body of which vertebrae?

Answer 1

L2

Question 2

What percentage of cats have a right circumcaval ureter?

Answer 2

30%
1.3% left
3% bilateral

Question 3

The ureteral artery originates from which artery?

Answer 3

Caudal aspect of the renal artery

Question 4

What are the layers of the ureter?

Answer 4

• Outer adventitial layer
• Central muscular layer (50% of thickness, inner/outer longitudinal and middle circular layers))
• Inner mucosal layer (lamina propria and transitional epithelium (4-6 cells thick))

Question 5

Where are congenital ureteral strictures most commonly located?

Answer 5

Ureteropelvic junction

Question 6

What is a ureterocoele?

Answer 6

Dilatation associated with the distal ureter or ureteral orifice that occurs as a faulty embryonic development (Chwalla membrane fails to regress).

Question 7

What is normal feline ureteral diameter?

Answer 7

0.4mm (can place 0.8mm stents) IMPORTANT

Question 8

What is average ureteral diameter in larger dogs?

Answer 8

2-2.5mm (use calculation 0.07 x L2)

Question 9

Describe the path of the ureters:

Answer 9

Leave renal pelvis dorsal to the renal vessels/ventral to psoas mm. -> right ureter is lateral to the vena cava and may pass dorsal to it (circumcaval) -> then ventral to the external iliac vessels toward trigone of bladder -> run obliquely inside bladder wall to enter just cranial to the internal sphincter

*in males, the ureters pass dorsal to the ductus deferens before recurving to go to trigone (causes “J-shape”)

Question 10

In the study of feline ureters that found a 30% right circumcaval ureter, what else did they find?

Answer 10

7% had double caudal vena cavae

Question 11

Autonomic innervation of the ureter is from what plexi?

Answer 11

celiac and pelvic