Category: U

Fluid (other than urine) such as pus expelled from the urethra. Discharge without blood is usually a symptom of a sexually transmitted disease, such as gonorrhea or chlamydia. Blood in the discharge may indicate a foreign object in the urethra, abnormal narrowing of the urethra (urethral stricture), or a tumor. An examination is needed to…

A surgical procedure to widen an abnormally narrow urethra (the tube that drains urine from the bladder). To perform the procedure, instruments of progressively larger sizes (called dilators) are inserted into the urethra to stretch the narrowed area. It is performed most often on men who have a urethral stricture.  

Severe pain in the back that occurs when one or more kidney stones become trapped in a ureter (one of two tubes that transport urine from the kidneys to the bladder). A usually severe pain in the back that occurs as the result of one or more kidney stones becoming trapped in a ureter (one…

The strong, rhythmic tightening of the muscles of the uterus, increasing in intensity, frequency, and duration, that accompanies labor. Uterine contractions cause the cervix to dilate (widen) so the baby can pass into the vagina. At first, the contractions may be mild, irregular, and infrequent. Early contractions can feel like gas pains, menstrual cramps, or…

Insertion of a thin, flexible tube (catheter) into the bladder to drain urine. Catheters may be used temporarily, such as during surgery and recovery, or continuously in people who cannot retain urine normally or empty their bladder. Typically, the catheter has a balloon tip that is inflated with air or sterile liquid to hold it…

A stone that forms in the organs that produce and transport urine, including the kidneys, ureters (tubes connecting the kidneys and bladder), and the bladder. These stones form from crystalline materials normally present in the urine. They begin most often in the kidney and are commonly known as kidney stones; the rarer bladder calculi are…

A test done with special equipment while patient urinates that helps determine how well the urinary tract is functioning, and whether there is an obstruction at the outlet of the bladder. Timed measurement of the rate of urination. Uroflowmetry is used to diagnose conditions that result in slow urinary output, e.g., bladder outlet obstruction resulting…

A laboratory procedure that uses electrical potential to move colloidal particles (urinary proteins) through the solution in which they are disbursed. The different proteins and protein mixtures present are analyzed by measuring the speed at which they move.  

A nitrogen fraction elevated in the serum and urine of patients with certain kidney and other diseases. The nitrogen of urea (as distinguished from nitrogen in blood proteins).  

The amount of urea filtered and removed from the blood by the kidneys within a given period of time.