A urologist is a specialist who is trained to evaluate the urinary system and reproductive system (the genitourinary tract includes the kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder and genital structures in men, women and children). A urologist also treats the prostate and the testicles in men as well as the adrenal gland in men and women. A urologist has the knowledge and technological resources to evaluate the function of these structures, along with the conditions and diseases that can affect them and their normal operation. Finally, a urologist has the medical and surgical tools to optimize these urinary and reproductive organs’ function by treating conditions and diseases that affect those organs, and thereby enhance an individual's quality of life.
Kidney Disease and Urology
The kidneys are amazing organs. One of the kidney’s major functions is to filter and remove waste products and excess fluids from your body. Each and every day, your kidneys filter over 200 quarts of fluid to produce about 2 quarts of urine that is stored in the bladder, and ultimately removed through a process called urination. Your kidneys also play an important role in removing drugs, regulating blood pressure, controlling the production of red bloods cells and helping promote strong, healthy bones by producing an active form of vitamin D.
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RealAge answeredIf you have nephrotic syndrome (a group of symptoms caused by kidney damage), you should call your doctor for the following reasons.
1. You are having symptoms of nephrotic syndrome including:- a puffy face and/or eyes
- swelling in your feet, ankles, legs, hands, arms and/or abdomen
- foamy urine
- loss of appetite
- fluid retention that may cause unintentional weight gain
- proteinuria (large amounts of protein in your urine, identified during a urinalysis)
- hypoalbuminia (low levels of protein in your blood, identified during an analysis of a blood sample)
- hyperlipidemia -- high levels of fats and cholesterol in your blood
- fatigue
3. You experience new, additional symptoms including cough, fever, headache or changes in urination (discomfort and/or infrequency).
4. You develop sores on your skin. -
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National Kidney Foundation answeredPeople with diabetes can get a kidney transplant if their kidneys fail. Once you get a new kidney, you may need a higher dose of insulin. Your appetite will improve so your new kidney will break down insulin better than your injured one. You will use steroids to keep your body from rejecting your new kidney. If your new kidney fails, dialysis treatment can be started while you wait for another kidney.
Sometimes it is possible to perform a pancreas transplant along with a kidney transplant. Your doctor can advise you about this possibility. -
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Dr. John C. Lipman, MD , Vascular & Interventional Radiology, answeredVaricoceles can present with testicular/scrotal pain or discovered incidentally during an infertility work-up (i.e. varicoceles can lead to diminished/absent sperm counts). Varicoceles can be felt on physical exam or be detected on a scrotal ultrasound. Having the patient bear down (Valsalva) is an important maneuver to detect the varicocele. -
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Dr. John C. Lipman, MD , Vascular & Interventional Radiology, answeredVaricocele embolization is a non-surgical procedure performed by an Interventional Radiologist (IR). It is an outpatient procedure performed under local anesthesia, thus avoiding the risks and complications from surgery and general anesthesia. A tiny catheter is placed in to a vein of the right neck or right groin and advanced under x-ray guidance in to the spermatic vein on the side of the varicocele (typically left but can be both). A contrast injection (venogram) is obtained during a Valsalva (bearing down) maneuver to document the reflux of contrast down the incompetent spermatic vein to the scrotum. It also depicts the collateral channels that may be present, and is the reason why the embolization procedure has a lower recurrence rate compared with traditional surgery (i.e. these collaterals cannot be seen during the surgery). Either a series of metallic coils or a sandwich of coils surrounding an injection of a sclerosant is used to close the spermatic vein as well as any collateral channels.
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National Kidney Foundation answeredSee All 3 AnswersTight control of glucose lowers the risk of all complications from diabetes, including kidney disease. Other measures are keeping high blood pressure under control, quitting cigarette smoking and following a diet for diabetes, as prescribed by your doctor or healthcare professional. In addition to these measures, once kidney disease and albuminuria have developed, medications called angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) should be prescribed to slow down the progression of kidney disease.
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See All 2 AnswersTo diagnose a cystocele (prolapsed bladder), your healthcare provider will ask about your medical history and give you a physical exam. You may also have a cystourethrogram (also called a voiding cystogram), which is an x-ray taken of the bladder while you urinate. You’ll be given a special dye called a contrast medium. This helps show the bladder and urethra on the x-ray, allowing your healthcare provider to see the shape of your bladder and look for problems. You may need other tests to see if there are any problems in the other areas of your urinary system.
A cystocele is graded during diagnosis. Grade 1 means the bladder sags only a short way into the top of the vagina. Grade 2 means the bladder sags down to the lower opening of the vagina. Grade 3 means the bladder sags out of the lower opening of the vagina. -
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It is important to maintain a healthy body weight if you have kidney disease that is caused by diabetes. Getting to and maintaining a normal body weight (a body mass index, or BMI, of less than 25) can help lower your blood pressure and reduce your need for diabetic medications. -
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To diagnose urethritis, your healthcare provider will examine you and ask about your symptoms and health history. You may also have one or more of the following tests:
- urine test to take samples of urine and have them checked for problems
- blood test to take a sample of blood and have it checked for problems
- urethral discharge to take a sample of fluid from inside the urethra (a cotton swab is inserted into the opening of the penis and into the urethra)
- cystoscopy to allow the healthcare provider to look for problems in the urinary tract (a thin, flexible telescope with a light and camera, called a cystoscope, is inserted into the urethra)
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St. Mark's Hospital answeredSee All 3 AnswersA cystocele (prolapsed bladder) is when a woman’s bladder sags down into the vagina. It does this when the wall of tissue between the bladder and the vagina gets weak. The sagging bladder can stretch the opening of the urethra, which is the tube that carries urine out of the body. This can cause urine to leak when you cough, sneeze or lift something heavy. A cystocele can also cause discomfort in the pelvis and make it hard to fully empty your bladder.