General urology

What urology is

Urology is the branch of medicine and surgery that looks after the urinary tract in men, women and children, and the male reproductive system. The urinary tract includes the kidneys, the tubes that carry urine to the bladder (the ureters), the bladder, and the tube that drains the bladder (the urethra).

How the male urinary system works

In simple terms:

• The kidneys filter the blood and make urine.
• Urine travels down to the bladder, a muscular bag that stores it.
• When the bladder is full, it squeezes urine out through the urethra.
• In men, the urethra passes through the prostate, a walnut-sized gland that sits just under the bladder.

Because the prostate sits in such a sensitive spot, when it grows or develops disease it can press on the urethra and affect the urine flow.

Common general urology procedures

Cystoscopy

A thin telescope is passed through the urethra into the bladder to look inside. There are two types:

• Flexible cystoscopy - done in the rooms with local anaesthetic, often to check for bladder problems or to investigate blood in the urine. See the short version: flexible cystoscopy.
• Rigid cystoscopy - done in hospital under anaesthetic, often as part of a larger procedure.

Ureteric stents

Thin plastic tubes placed in the ureter to keep urine draining from the kidney to the bladder when there is a blockage (for example from a stone). See the short version: ureteric stents.

Vasectomy

A permanent contraception procedure for men. The two tubes (vas deferens) that carry sperm out of the testicles are cut and sealed. See the short version: vasectomy.

Other things urology covers

• Prostate cancer, enlarged prostate, and laser prostate surgery.
• Kidney cancer, kidney stones, and robotic kidney surgery.
• Bladder cancer and bladder stones.
• Testicular cancer.
• Erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, and a wider range of men's health conditions.