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Urinary Bladder

Urinary Bladder Histology
  • Adventitia is the outermost layer
  • Muscularis comprises the detrusor muscle, a collection of three layers of smooth muscle; the detrusor muscle contracts to expel urine and relaxes during urine storage.
  • Submucosa, comprises connective tissues that support the urinary bladder walls, and,
  • Mucosa, which, like the mucosa of the ureter, comprises folds of lamina propria and transitional epithelia (not shown, here).
    • Mucosal rugae of the internal surface of the urinary bladder facilitate expansion to accommodate urine.
    • Openings of the ureters on the posterior/inferior bladder wall and internal urethral orifice form the trigone, is a smooth, triangularly shaped portion of the bladder wall; its shape and smooth surface act as a funnel to direct urine from the openings of the ureters to the urethra.
    • Epithelium comprises basal cells, intermediate cells, and, in the apical layer, umbrella cells.
Umbrella cells derive their name from their wide dome shape; because they face the urine, they have tight junctions, a mucin layer, and other features that form a barrier to water and urea.
Clinical correlation
    • Transitional cell carcinoma is the most common type of bladder cancer; high-grade transitional cell carcinoma can spread through the muscular layer and to nearby organs and lymph nodes.

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