The ureters are muscular ducts (25-30 cm long) with narrow lumina that carry urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder. They run inferiorly from the apices of the renal pelves at the hila of the kidneys, passing over the pelvic brim at the bifurcation of the common iliac arteries. They then run along the lateral wall of the pelvis and enter the urinary bladder.

The abdominal parts of the ureters adhere closely to the parietal peritoneum and are retroperitoneal throughout their course. From the back, the surface marking of the ureter is a line joining a point 5 cm lateral to the L₁ spinous process and the posterior superior iliac spine. The ureters occupy a sagittal plane that intersects the tips of the transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae.

When examining the ureters radiographically using contrast medium, the ureters normally demonstrate relative constrictions in three places:

(1) at the junction of the ureters and renal pelves,

(2) where the ureters cross the brim of the pelvic inlet, and

(3) during their passage through the wall of the urinary bladder.

These constricted areas are potential sites of obstruction by ureteric stones (calculi).

Congenital anomalies of the kidneys and ureters are fairly common.