Urological Surgery
The urinary system includes three main components: the kidneys, the bladder and the ureters. In males, it also includes the prostate - a male reproductive gland. Surgery around the male reproductive organs and urinary tract requires precision. Conditions like prostate cancer, trouble with urination, and bladder and kidney cancer require special care not to damage complicated tissues and nerves surrounding these areas.
Crestwood Medical Center offers surgical care designed to treat urological conditions quickly and effectively.
Prostate Cancer
The prostate is a male reproductive gland that produces a fluid found in semen. Located below the bladder and in front of the rectum, the prostate surrounds the urethra – the tube that empties urine from the bladder. Prostate cancer affects the prostate gland and may spread to surrounding structures.
If you have an early diagnosis of prostate cancer, there is usually a range of treatment options. These may include conservative management, radiation therapy with external bream therapy or brachytherapy, cryosurgery and surgical removal of the prostate through a procedure called prostatectomy.
Prostatectomy
Open urologic surgery in which large incisions are made to access the pelvic organs has been the standard approach when surgery is warranted. Common drawbacks of this procedure include significant post-surgical pain, a lengthy recovery, and an unpredictable, potentially long-term impact on continence and sexual function. Surgeons at Crestwood Medical Center utilize minimally invasive robotic surgery for prostatectomies.
Robotic surgery may not be appropriate for every individual. Always ask your doctor about all treatment options, as well as their risks and benefits.
Kidney Stones
Kidney stones are hard, pebble-like pieces of material that form in one or both of the kidneys when high levels of certain minerals are in the urine. Kidney stones vary in size and shape – as small as a grain of sand or as large as a pea and rarely, as big as golf balls.
Left untreated, kidney stones can cause serious complications in addition to severe pain. Timely treatment can prevent permanent damage.
Symptoms of a possible kidney stone:
- Sharp pain in the back, side, lower abdomen, or grown
- Blood in urine
A small kidney stone may pass through the urinary tract on its own, causing little or no pain or other symptoms. A larger kidney stone may get stuck along the way and block the flow of urine. If kidney stones are not treated, they can cause blood in the urine; severe pain; urinary tract infections (UTIs), including kidney infections; and loss of kidney function.
The National Kidney Foundation reports that over half a million people go to emergency rooms for kidney stone problems every year. And it is estimated that one in ten people will have a kidney stone at some time in their lives.
People with a family history of kidney stones are more likely to develop them. People who have a kidney stone once are also more likely to develop kidney stones again. High blood pressure, diabetes or obesity, or poor hydration are also risk factors for developing kidney stones.
Four dietary tips from the National Kidney Foundation can help prevent painful kidney stones.
- Drink plenty of fluids when exercising and sweating. Sweat water loss leads to less urine production, allowing stone-causing minerals to settle and bond in the kidneys and urinary tract.
- Eat and drink calcium and oxalate-rich foods together during a meal to make it more likely they will bind to one another in the stomach and intestines before the kidneys begin processing. High levels of oxalate are found in peanuts, rhubarb, spinach, beets, chocolate and sweet potatoes.
- Maintain calcium intake but cut back on sodium. A diet low in calcium increases the risk of developing kidney stones.
- Eat more fruits and vegetables and less animal-based protein to help decrease urine acidity which can reduce the chance for stone formation.