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.
Urine is a liquid waste product of the body secreted by the kidneys by a process of filtration from blood called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous waste compounds, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream.