ureter

DEFINITION of ureter

ureter see also: ur- (urinary tract); The ureter is a retroperitoneal, fibromuscular tube, approximately 25-30 cm long in adults, that extends from the renal pelvis of the kidney to the urinary bladder. It actively transports urine through peristaltic contractions of its smooth muscle layers. Anatomically, it is divided into abdominal and pelvic sections and has three physiological narrowing points (ureteropelvic junction, iliac vessel crossing, and ureterovesical junction) where calculi (stones) commonly become lodged.

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ETYMOLOGY of ureter

greek oureter; The term has a direct lineage from Ancient Greek concepts of urination:

• Greek Root: Derived from ourētēr (οὐρητήρ), meaning “urinary duct”.
• Verb Origin: It stems from the Greek verb ourein, meaning “to urinate” or “to make water”.
• Historical Usage: In early Hippocratic texts, -oureter and urethra were sometimes used interchangeably, but by the 16th century, ureter was consistently applied to the upper tract ducts.

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RELATED TERMS to ureter

For medical coding, distinguishing between the ureter and other urinary structures (like the urethra) is vital, as is identifying specific pathologies like stones or strictures:

Term/Code	Description	Clinical/Coding Note
N20.1	Calculus of ureter	Specific ICD-10-CM code for a stone located in the ureter
N13.1	hydronephrosis with ureteral stricture	Coding for obstruction caused by narrowing of the ureter
N13.5	Crossing vessel and stricture of ureter without hydronephrosis	Used when there is a stricture but no kidney swelling
ureterolithiasis	Stone in the ureter	Clinical term for the condition coded by N20.1.
Hydroureter	Dilation of the ureter	Accumulation of urine in the ureter due to obstruction (N13.4)
ureteroscopy	Scope of the ureter	Minimally invasive procedure to visualize or treat ureteral issues (CPT 5235x).

• Ureteropelvic Junction (UPJ): The point where the ureter meets the kidney; a common site for congenital obstruction (N13.0).​
• Ureterovesical Junction (UVJ): The point where the ureter enters the bladder; acts as a valve to prevent reflux.
• Double Ureter (Duplicated Collecting System): A congenital anomaly where two ureters drain a single kidney (Q62.5)

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DERIVATIONS of ureter

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Query functionality

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Med roots Appendix A Prefixes Appendix B Combining Forms Appendix C Suffixes Appendix D Suffix forms