All procedures
88 urology operations, office procedures and tests. Search by name, or by the words your doctor used.
Prostate cancer
Biopsy, surgery, focal therapy and radiation procedures.
- Robotic radical prostatectomyKeyhole surgery, done with a surgical robot that your surgeon controls, to remove the whole prostate and the seminal vesicles (and often nearby lymph nodes) to treat prostate cancer that has not spread.
- Open radical prostatectomySurgery through one cut in the lower belly to remove the whole prostate and the seminal vesicles, and often nearby lymph nodes, to treat prostate cancer that has not spread.
- MRI-fusion transperineal prostate biopsyA test that takes small samples of the prostate with a thin needle passed through the skin between the scrotum and the anus, guided by ultrasound and usually by an MRI map, to look for prostate cancer.
- Transrectal prostate biopsyA test that takes small samples of the prostate with a thin needle passed through the wall of the rectum, guided by ultrasound and sometimes an MRI map, to look for prostate cancer.
- HIFU focal therapy for prostate cancerAn outpatient treatment that uses focused ultrasound energy, aimed from a probe in the rectum, to heat and destroy the part of the prostate that contains cancer while leaving the rest of the gland alone.
- Prostate cryoablationA treatment that destroys prostate cancer by freezing it with thin needle-like probes placed through the skin between the scrotum and the anus, guided by ultrasound. It can treat the whole prostate or only the area with cancer.
- Prostate seed implant (brachytherapy)A one-time procedure in which tiny radioactive seeds are placed permanently inside the prostate through thin needles passed through the skin between the scrotum and the anus. The seeds give a high dose of radiation to the prostate over several months while largely sparing nearby organs.
- Rectal spacer gel and gold marker placementA short procedure before prostate radiation. A soft gel is injected between the prostate and the rectum to move the rectum away from the radiation, and three tiny gold markers are placed in the prostate so the radiation can be aimed precisely each day.
- Simple orchiectomy for prostate cancerA short operation to remove both testicles through a small cut in the scrotum. It lowers testosterone, the hormone that feeds most prostate cancers, quickly and permanently, and takes the place of hormone shots or pills.
- Single-port robotic prostatectomyRobotic removal of the whole prostate and seminal vesicles for prostate cancer, done through one small cut of about 3 centimeters (just over an inch) instead of several keyholes, using the da Vinci SP single-port robot.
- Retzius-sparing robotic prostatectomyRobotic removal of the prostate reached from behind the bladder, through the pouch between the bladder and the rectum, leaving the bladder and the tissues in front of the prostate in place. Many men regain urinary control sooner than after the standard approach.
- Robotic salvage prostatectomyRobotic removal of the prostate when cancer comes back inside it after radiation, seed implants, HIFU or freezing treatment. It can cure carefully selected men, but scar tissue makes it harder than a first-time prostatectomy, and leakage and other side effects are more common.
- Robotic salvage lymph node dissection (PSMA-guided)Robotic surgery to remove lymph nodes where prostate cancer has come back, found on a PSMA PET scan, usually years after prostatectomy or radiation. It is a selective treatment for a small group of men and is often combined with radiation or hormone therapy.
- MRI-guided TULSA prostate ablationA treatment with no incision, done inside an MRI scanner, in which a thin ultrasound rod placed through the urethra heats and destroys a planned part of the prostate, or the whole gland, while the MRI measures the temperature in real time.
Enlarged prostate
Procedures that open the channel when the prostate blocks urine flow.
- Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP)TURP is an operation done through the tip of the penis, with no cuts on the skin. A surgeon uses a thin scope with an electric wire loop to shave away the inner part of an enlarged prostate so urine can flow freely again.
- Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP)HoLEP is a laser operation done through the penis, with no skin cuts. The surgeon uses a laser to peel the whole enlarged inner prostate away from its outer shell, pushes it into the bladder, and then removes it with a tissue shredder.
- GreenLight laser vaporization of the prostate (PVP)GreenLight is an operation done through the penis, with no skin cuts. A high-powered green laser vaporizes the overgrown inner prostate layer by layer, opening a channel for urine.
- Prostatic urethral lift (UroLift)UroLift uses small permanent implants, placed through a scope in the urethra, to hold the enlarged prostate lobes apart like tie-backs on a curtain. Nothing is cut, heated, or removed.
- Water vapor thermal therapy (Rezum)Rezum treats an enlarged prostate with small, measured puffs of steam injected through a scope in the urethra. The heat kills the extra prostate cells, and over the next few months the body clears them away and the prostate shrinks.
- AquablationAquablation removes the overgrown inner prostate with a high-speed jet of salt water. The surgeon maps the area to treat on live ultrasound, and a robot then guides the waterjet precisely through a scope in the urethra.
- Temporary implantable nitinol device (iTind)iTind is a small folded wire device placed in the prostate channel through a scope. Over 5 to 7 days it presses gently on the prostate to reshape the channel, and then it is removed, leaving nothing behind.
- Simple prostatectomyA simple prostatectomy removes the overgrown inner part of a very large prostate through the bladder, using robotic keyhole surgery or an open incision. The outer shell of the prostate stays in place. It is an operation for BPH, not cancer.
- Prostate artery embolization (PAE)Prostate artery embolization is done by an interventional radiologist through a tiny tube in an artery in the groin or wrist. Tiny particles are injected into the prostate's arteries to reduce its blood supply, so the prostate softens and shrinks over the following weeks.
- Optilume BPH drug-coated balloonOptilume BPH uses a balloon passed through the urethra to split the enlarged prostate open along its front. The balloon is coated with a medicine that helps the channel stay open as it heals.
Kidney and adrenal
Tumors, blockages, transplant and adrenal surgery.
- Robotic partial nephrectomyKeyhole surgery, done with a surgical robot, that cuts a tumor out of the kidney and sews the kidney closed, so you keep most of your kidney and its function.
- Radical nephrectomySurgery that removes the whole kidney, with the fat around it, to treat a kidney cancer that is too large or too central to remove on its own.
- Robotic nephrectomy with vena cava thrombectomyRemoval of a cancerous kidney together with the finger of tumor that has grown up its vein into the inferior vena cava, the body's largest vein, done robotically or through open surgery depending on how high the tumor reaches.
- Robotic distal ureterectomy and reimplantationRobotic surgery that removes the lower part of a ureter, the tube from the kidney to the bladder, along with a tumor and a small cuff of bladder, and then reconnects the healthy ureter to the bladder so you keep your kidney.
- NephroureterectomySurgery that removes the kidney, the whole ureter, and a small cuff of the bladder where the ureter enters, to treat cancer of the lining of the kidney's drainage system or the ureter.
- Kidney tumor ablation (cryo or microwave)A treatment that destroys a small kidney tumor in place by freezing or heating it through thin needles placed through the skin, using CT or ultrasound pictures to guide them.
- Kidney mass biopsyA needle test, done through the skin of your back or side with CT or ultrasound guidance, that takes a few thin samples of a kidney mass to find out what it is.
- PyeloplastySurgery that cuts out a narrowed spot where the kidney drains into the ureter and sews a wide new funnel, so urine flows freely again.
- Kidney transplantSurgery that places a healthy kidney from a living or deceased donor into your lower belly, connected to your blood vessels and bladder, to treat kidney failure.
- Living donor nephrectomyKeyhole surgery in which a healthy person gives one kidney so it can be transplanted into someone with kidney failure.
- AdrenalectomyKeyhole surgery to remove an adrenal gland, the small hormone gland on top of the kidney, usually because of a tumor that makes too much hormone or could be cancer.
- Upper tract chemoablation (mitomycin gel)A chemotherapy gel, mitomycin, placed into the kidney's drainage system once a week for 6 weeks through a thin tube, to treat low-grade cancer of the kidney lining without removing the kidney.
Kidney stones
Breaking, removing and draining around stones.
- Ureteroscopy with laser lithotripsyA thin telescope is passed through the urethra and bladder up into the ureter or kidney, and a laser breaks the stone into dust or small pieces that are removed or passed in your urine. There are no cuts on the skin.
- Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL)A keyhole operation through a small cut in your back, about 1 centimeter long, that makes a tunnel straight into the kidney to break up and remove large or hard stones.
- Shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL)Focused shock waves from a machine outside your body travel through the skin to break a kidney or ureter stone into sand-sized pieces that you then pass in your urine. There are no cuts and no scopes.
- Ureteral stent placement and removalA ureteral stent is a soft, thin plastic tube placed inside the ureter, running from the kidney to the bladder, so urine can drain past a blockage or while the ureter heals. It is placed with a scope through the urethra and later removed by pulling a string or with a quick office scope.
- Nephrostomy tubeA nephrostomy tube is a thin, flexible tube placed through the skin of your back directly into the kidney, so urine can drain into a bag outside your body. It is usually placed by an interventional radiologist using ultrasound and X-ray, with numbing medicine and sedation.
- Bladder stone removal (cystolitholapaxy)A scope is passed through the urethra into the bladder, the stone is broken into small pieces, usually with a laser, and the pieces are washed out. It is often combined with treating what caused the stone, most often an enlarged prostate.
Bladder cancer
From scraping a tumor to removing the bladder and building a new way for urine.
- Transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT)A surgery done through the urethra, with no cuts on the skin, to remove a bladder tumor and learn exactly what kind it is and how deep it goes. It is both the first treatment and the key test for bladder cancer.
- BCG bladder treatmentA liquid medicine made from a weakened germ, placed into the bladder through a thin catheter, that trains the immune system to attack bladder cancer cells. It is the standard treatment after TURBT for high-risk early bladder cancer.
- Bladder chemotherapy instillationChemotherapy placed directly into the bladder through a thin catheter, held for 1 to 2 hours, then urinated out. It treats the bladder lining to lower the chance that early bladder cancer comes back.
- Radical cystectomy with ileal conduitSurgery to remove the bladder and nearby lymph nodes for bladder cancer, then use a short piece of small bowel to carry urine to an opening on the belly, where it drains into a bag. It is the most common way to rebuild the urinary tract after the bladder is removed.
- Robotic cystectomy with intracorporeal diversionKeyhole robotic surgery that removes the bladder for bladder cancer, along with nearby organs and lymph nodes, and then builds a new way for urine to leave the body, an ileal conduit or a neobladder, from a piece of bowel entirely inside the body.
- NeobladderA new bladder made from a piece of small bowel and joined to the urethra after the bladder is removed for cancer, so you pass urine through the usual opening without a bag. Emptying it is a learned skill: you relax and gently push with your belly muscles.
- Continent cutaneous diversion (Indiana pouch)After the bladder is removed, a pouch made from the right side of the colon stores urine inside the body. You empty it by passing a thin catheter through a small, flat opening on the belly every 4 to 6 hours, and no bag is worn.
- Partial cystectomySurgery that removes the part of the bladder holding a tumor, with a rim of healthy wall, and then sews the bladder closed. It keeps your own bladder and is used for urachal cancer and a few carefully chosen single tumors.
Bladder control
Overactive bladder, bladder pain, and catheters.
- Bladder Botox injectionsA thin camera is passed into the bladder and small doses of Botox are injected into the bladder muscle to calm sudden urges and urge leakage. It is usually done in the office with numbing medicine, and the effect usually lasts about 6 to 12 months.
- Sacral neuromodulationA thin wire placed next to a nerve at the base of the spine sends mild electrical pulses that help the bladder and brain communicate better. You try it first for a few days to two weeks, and you only get the small permanent battery if it helps.
- Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS)A very thin needle placed near the inner ankle carries gentle electrical pulses up a leg nerve to the nerves that control the bladder. It is done in the clinic for 30 minutes once a week for 12 weeks, then less often to keep the benefit.
- Bladder augmentation (augmentation cystoplasty)Surgery that makes a small or stiff bladder larger and softer by sewing a patch made from your own bowel onto it. Many people also get a small channel from the bladder to the belly button for passing a catheter, called a Mitrofanoff.
- Suprapubic catheterA soft tube placed through the lower belly, just above the pubic bone, directly into the bladder to drain urine. It is used when the bladder cannot empty on its own and a catheter is needed for a long time, and it keeps a tube out of the urethra.
- Bladder hydrodistensionWhile you are asleep, a doctor looks inside the bladder with a camera and gently stretches it by filling it with water for a short time. It helps diagnose interstitial cystitis, finds and treats Hunner lesions, and eases symptoms for some people.
Leakage and pelvic floor
Slings, sphincters, bulking and prolapse repair.
- Artificial urinary sphincterAn artificial urinary sphincter is a small fluid-filled implant that keeps the urethra squeezed closed to stop leakage, and opens when you press a pump hidden in the scrotum. It is the most studied surgery for men who leak a lot after prostate cancer treatment.
- Male slingA male sling is a strip of soft mesh placed under the urethra through a small incision between the legs. It lifts and supports the urethra so the remaining sphincter muscle can hold urine better, and it helps many men with mild to moderate leakage after prostate surgery.
- Midurethral slingA midurethral sling is a narrow strip of soft mesh tape placed under the middle of the urethra through a small cut in the vagina. It supports the urethra so it stays closed when you cough, laugh, sneeze or exercise, and it is the most common and most studied surgery for stress leakage in women.
- Urethral bulking injectionsA soft gel or paste is injected into the wall of the urethra to make small cushions that help it close, which reduces leaking with coughing, laughing, or exercise. It takes about 15 to 30 minutes, often in the clinic, with no cuts.
- Urethral diverticulectomySurgery through the vagina to remove a pocket (diverticulum) that has formed off the urethra and to rebuild the urethra in layers. You go home with a catheter, usually for about 2 weeks, while it heals.
- Vesicovaginal fistula repairSurgery to close an abnormal opening between the bladder and the vagina that lets urine leak out of the vagina all the time. It can be done through the vagina or through the belly, often robotically, and you keep a catheter for about 2 to 3 weeks while it heals.
- Sacrocolpopexy (robotic mesh prolapse repair)Keyhole robotic surgery that lifts a sagging vagina, along with the bladder and bowel that sag with it, back into place and holds it there with a strip of soft surgical mesh attached to the sacrum, the bone at the base of the spine. It is one of the longest-lasting repairs for prolapse of the top of the vagina or the uterus.
Urethra
Narrowing and scarring of the tube that carries urine out.
- UrethroplastyUrethroplasty is an operation to repair a narrowed, scarred section of the urethra, the tube that carries urine out. The surgeon either cuts out a short scar and rejoins the healthy ends, or widens a longer scar with a graft taken from the inside of your cheek.
- Urethrotomy and urethral dilationUrethrotomy and dilation open a narrowed, scarred section of the urethra from the inside, using a tiny knife or a balloon passed through a scope, with no skin incision. A newer drug-coated balloon (Optilume) also leaves behind a medicine that slows the scar from closing again.
- MeatotomyA meatotomy is a short procedure that widens a narrowed opening at the tip of the penis (the meatus), so urine comes out in a normal, straight stream. It is most often done for boys who were circumcised as babies, and sometimes for men.
Testicle and scrotum
Vasectomy, swelling, fertility and testicular cancer surgery.
- VasectomyA vasectomy is a short office procedure that cuts and seals the two tubes that carry sperm, so your semen no longer contains sperm. It is permanent birth control for men.
- Vasectomy reversalA vasectomy reversal is a microsurgery that reconnects the tubes cut during a vasectomy so sperm can get back into the semen. It is done under an operating microscope with stitches finer than a hair.
- VaricocelectomyA varicocelectomy ties off the swollen veins above the testicle, called a varicocele. It is done to improve sperm in men trying to conceive, to relieve aching, or to protect the growth of the testicle in teenagers.
- HydrocelectomyA hydrocelectomy drains the fluid that has built up around a testicle (a hydrocele) and removes or folds the thin sac that made it, so the fluid is unlikely to come back.
- SpermatocelectomyA spermatocelectomy removes a spermatocele, a fluid-filled cyst that grows from the epididymis just above and behind the testicle.
- Radical inguinal orchiectomyA radical inguinal orchiectomy removes a testicle with a suspected or confirmed cancer, along with its cord, through a cut in the groin. It is the first step in treating nearly all testicular cancers, both to remove the tumor and to learn exactly what type it is.
- OrchiopexyAn orchiopexy brings an undescended testicle down into the scrotum and fixes it there. It is usually done when a child is between 6 and 18 months old.
- Surgery for testicular torsionTesticular torsion is an emergency in which a testicle twists on its cord and loses its blood supply. Surgery untwists it, checks whether it can be saved, and stitches both testicles in place so they are very unlikely to twist again.
- Microdissection testicular sperm extraction (micro-TESE)Micro-TESE is an operation to search for and collect sperm directly from the testicles in men whose testicles make so little sperm that none reach the semen. Any sperm found are used with IVF to try for a pregnancy.
- Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND)RPLND removes the lymph nodes at the back of the belly, around the aorta and vena cava, where testicular cancer spreads first. It is done to treat cancer in those nodes or to remove masses left behind after chemotherapy.
Penis and sexual health
Circumcision, implants, curvature and penile cancer.
- CircumcisionCircumcision is an operation to remove the foreskin, the fold of skin that covers the head of the penis. In adults it is most often done for a tight or scarred foreskin, repeated infections, or personal, cultural or religious reasons.
- Penile prosthesis (implant)A penile prosthesis is a device placed inside the penis during surgery so you can have a firm erection whenever you want one. The most common type is a three-piece inflatable implant controlled by a small pump hidden in the scrotum.
- Surgery for Peyronie's diseaseSurgery for Peyronie's disease straightens a penis that bends during erections because of scar tissue called a plaque. The main options are folding stitches on the side opposite the bend (plication), cutting the plaque and patching it with a graft, or placing a penile implant and straightening the penis around it.
- Collagenase (Xiaflex) injections for Peyronie's diseaseXiaflex is a medicine made of enzymes (collagenase) that is injected into the scar plaque of Peyronie's disease to break it down. Combined with gentle stretching and bending called modeling, it can reduce the curve of the erect penis without surgery.
- Priapism treatmentPriapism is an erection that lasts more than 4 hours or happens without sexual arousal. The painful, rock-hard kind (ischemic priapism) is an emergency: treatment drains the trapped blood and injects medicine to tighten the blood vessels, and sometimes needs a small operation called a shunt.
- Partial penectomyPartial penectomy removes the part of the penis that contains cancer, with a rim of healthy tissue around it, and makes a new opening for urine at the end of the remaining shaft. When the cancer is small, surgeons try to save more of the penis with glans-sparing operations.
- Inguinal lymph node dissectionInguinal lymph node dissection removes the lymph nodes in the groin, where penile cancer usually spreads first. It is done to find out whether the cancer has spread and, if it has, to remove it.
Children
Common operations for boys and girls.
- Hypospadias repairHypospadias repair is surgery for boys born with the urine opening on the underside of the penis instead of at the tip. The surgeon straightens the penis if needed, builds a new urine channel to the tip, and reshapes the skin, usually when a baby is 6 to 18 months old.
- Ureteral reimplantationUreteral reimplantation is an operation that stops urine from flowing backward from the bladder up toward the kidney (vesicoureteral reflux). The surgeon reattaches the ureter to the bladder through a longer tunnel in the bladder wall, which works as a one-way valve.
- Deflux injection for refluxA Deflux injection treats vesicoureteral reflux (urine flowing backward from the bladder toward the kidney) by injecting a small amount of gel under the ureter opening through a scope. The gel forms a cushion that helps the opening close, with no incision and usually a same-day discharge.
Tests
Looking inside and measuring how the bladder works.
- CystoscopyCystoscopy is a look inside the urethra and bladder with a thin, lighted camera passed through the urethra. Most are done in the office with numbing gel, take about 5 minutes, and you go home right after.
- Urodynamic testingUrodynamic testing measures how your bladder fills, stores and empties. Thin catheters in the bladder and rectum record pressures while the bladder is slowly filled with water and then while you urinate.