Doctors can often see a large hiatus hernia on a chest x-ray. Otherwise, people are given barium in a liquid before x-rays are taken (barium swallow). The barium outlines the esophagus, making abnormalities easier to see. Hernias can also be seen during an upper endoscopy.
The kidneys filter the blood to remove wastes and produce urine. The ureters, urinary bladder, and urethra together form the urinary tract, which acts as a plumbing system to drain urine from the kidneys, store it, and then release it during urination.
The kidneys perform the excretory functions of this system. These organs produce urine, a fluid waste product containing water, ions, and small soluble compounds. Urine leaving the kidneys travels along the urinary tract, which consists of the paired ureters and the urinary bladder, where urine is temporarily stored. When urination, or micturition, occurs, contraction of the muscular urinary bladder forces urine through the.