Renal Pelvis | Definition, Location, Function, & Facts | Britannica

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External Websites

• University of Maryland Medical Center - Renal Pelvis Cancer
• Merck Manuals - Consumer Version - Renal Pelvis and Ureter Cancer

renal pelvis anatomy Ask Anything Homework Help Written and fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors History Britannica AI Ask Anything Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask Anything

renal pelvis, enlarged upper end of the ureter, the tube through which urine flows from the kidney to the urinary bladder. The pelvis, which is shaped somewhat like a funnel that is curved to one side, is almost completely enclosed in the deep indentation on the concave side of the kidney, the sinus. The large end of the pelvis has roughly cuplike extensions, called calyces, within the kidney—these are cavities in which urine collects before it flows on into the urinary bladder.

Related Topics: ureter renal sinus (Show more) See all related content

Like the ureter, the renal pelvis is lined with a moist mucous-membrane layer that is only a few cells thick; the membrane is attached to a thicker coating of smooth muscle fibres, which, in turn, is surrounded by a layer of connective tissue. The mucous membrane of the pelvis is somewhat folded so that there is some room for tissue expansion when urine distends the pelvis. The muscle fibres are arranged in a longitudinal and a circular layer. Contractions of the muscle layers occur in periodic waves known as peristaltic movements. The peristaltic waves help to push urine from the pelvis into the ureter and bladder. The lining of the pelvis and of the ureter is impermeable to the normal substances found in urine; thus, the walls of these structures do not absorb fluids.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn.