Bladder

: The organ that stores urine. The bladder is a hollow organ in the lower abdomen. The kidneys filter waste from the blood and produce urine, which enters the bladder through two tubes called ureters. Urine leaves the bladder through another tube, the urethra. In women, the urethra is a short tube that opens just in front of the vagina. In men, it is longer, passing through the prostate gland and then the penis.

* * *

1. A distensible musculomembranous organ serving as a receptacle for fluid, as the urinary or gallbladder or urinary b.. See detrusor. 2. SYN: urinary b.. [A.S. blaedre]

- air b. a two-chambered gas-filled sac that is present in most fish and functions as a hydrostatic organ; it is located beneath the vertebral column, and is connected with the esophagus in some fish. SYN: swim b..

- allantoic b. a type of b. formed as an outgrowth of the cloaca.

- atonic b. a large, dilated, and nonemptying urinary b.; usually due to disturbance of innervation or to chronic obstruction.

- autonomic neurogenic b. malfunctioning urinary b., secondary to low spinal cord lesions.

- gall b. SYN: gallbladder.

- hyperreflexic b. a b. exhibiting detrusor instability.

- hypertonic b. a b. with poor compliance.

- ileal b. SYN: ileal conduit.

- neurogenic b. SYN: neuropathic b..

- neuropathic b. any defective functioning of b. due to impaired innervation, e.g., cord b., neuropathic b.. SYN: neurogenic b..

- nonneurogenic neurogenic b. detrusor-sphincter incoordination with urinary incontinence, constipation, UTI, upper tract changes. SYN: Hinman syndrome, pseudoneurogenic b..

- poorly compliant b. a b. that has high pressure at low volumes in the absence of detrusor activity.

- pseudoneurogenic b. SYN: nonneurogenic neurogenic b..

- reflex neurogenic b. an abnormal condition of urinary b. function whereby the b. is cut off from upper motor neuron control, but the lower motor neuron arc is still intact.

- swim b. SYN: air b..

- trabeculated b. characterized by thick wall and hypertrophied muscle bundles. Typically seen in instances of chronic obstruction.

- uninhibited neurogenic b. a condition, either congenital or acquired, of abnormal urinary b. function whereby normal inhibitory control of detrusor function by the central nervous system is impaired or underdeveloped, resulting in urgency or enuresis.

- unstable b. characterized by uninhibited detrusor contractions.

- urinary b. [TA] a musculomembranous elastic bag serving as a storage place for the urine. SYN: b. (2) [TA], vesica urinaria [TA], vesica (1) [TA], cystis urinaria, urocyst, urocystis.

* * *

blad·der 'blad-ər n

1) a membranous sac in animals that serves as the receptacle of a liquid or contains gas esp URINARY BLADDER

2) a vesicle or pouch forming part of an animal body <the \bladder of a tapeworm larva>

* * *

n.

1. (urinary bladder) a sac-shaped organ that has a wall of smooth muscle and stores the urine produced by the kidneys. Urine passes into the bladder through the ureter; the release of urine from the bladder is controlled by a sphincter at its junction with the urethra. The bladder neck is the outlet of the bladder where it joins the urethra and in males it is in contact with the prostate gland; it is under the control of the autonomic nerves of the pelvis. The neck of the bladder is the commonest site for retention of urine, usually by an enlarged prostate or a urethral stricture.

2. any of several other hollow organs containing fluid, such as the gall bladder.

* * *

blad·der (bladґər) [L. vesica, cystis; Gr. kystis] 1. a membranous sac, such as one serving as receptacle for a secretion. Called also vesica. 2. vesica urinaria.