Now that we have separated the urogenital tract into its THREE main parts, let’s focus on the Lower urinary tract and Male genital system before tackling the Kidney in the next section.

I. Diseases of the Lower Urinary Tract (LUT)

• Ureters, bladder, urethra
• Main aetiologic categories:
  • Infectious/Inflammatory
  • Congenital
  • Neoplastic
  • Urolithiasis (calculi formation)

Many conditions can result in Obstruction, which is an important clinical complication of LUT diseases

• This in turn can lead to urine stasis and infection, which can not only involve the LUT but ascending into the kidneys, giving rise pyelonephritis (this is discussed under Tubulointerstitial diseases in the Kidney in the next section)
• Stasis can also contribute to the formation of urinary calculi
• The obstructed ureters may dilate, and cause dilatation of the  renal pelvicalyceal system (hydronephrosis), which causes thinning and atrophy of the renal parenchyma and eventually renal failure

Here are some causes of obstruction, some of which are mentioned in the mindmap below:

(This diagram is taken from Robbins and Cotrans Pathologic Basis of Disease)