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Urology guides
24 plain-English, evidence-linked guides in Urology, with clinical review status shown on each page.
Bladder Botox injections (Intravesical botulinum toxin A injection)Injections of botulinum toxin (Botox) into the bladder wall to calm an overactive bladder when bladder training and medicines have not worked well enough.Bladder cancer surgery (cystectomy) (Radical cystectomy with urinary diversion)A major operation to remove the whole bladder, and usually nearby structures, to treat bladder cancer, with a new way created for urine to leave the body.Bladder tumour removal (TURBT) (Transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT))A telescope operation through the water pipe to remove a tumour from inside the bladder, both to treat it and to find out what it is.Circumcision (adult) (Adult circumcision (removal of the foreskin))An operation to remove the whole foreskin, most often done for a tight or scarred foreskin or repeated infections.Cystoscopy (bladder telescope) (Cystoscopy (flexible or rigid))A test that uses a thin telescope (cystoscope) to look inside the bladder and the urethra (waterpipe), often to investigate blood in the urine or other urinary symptoms.Epididymal cyst removal (excision of epididymal cyst (spermatocele))An operation to remove a fluid-filled swelling (cyst) from the epididymis, the sperm-carrying tube alongside the testicle, when it causes bothersome symptoms.Erectile dysfunction treatment (management of erectile dysfunction (impotence))A step-by-step way of helping men get and keep an erection firm enough for sex, starting with lifestyle and tablets and checking for any underlying cause.Hydrocele repair (Surgical repair of a scrotal hydrocele (hydrocelectomy))An operation to treat a hydrocele — a build-up of fluid around the testicle that causes a soft, usually not painful scrotal swelling — by draining the fluid and stitching or removing the sac so it does not refill.Kidney removal (nephrectomy) (Nephrectomy (radical or partial removal of the kidney))An operation to remove all of a kidney (radical nephrectomy) or just the part containing a tumour (partial nephrectomy), most often to treat kidney cancer, sometimes for a non-cancer problem.Kidney stone removal (ureteroscopy) (Ureteroscopy and laser stone fragmentation (ureterorenoscopy))A keyhole operation that passes a thin telescope up the natural urine tubes to break up or remove a stone in the kidney or ureter, usually with a laser.Laser prostate surgery (HoLEP / GreenLight) (Laser surgery for benign prostate enlargement (holmium laser enucleation or photoselective vaporisation of the prostate))Keyhole laser surgery to relieve the urinary symptoms of an enlarged prostate by removing or vaporising the tissue that is blocking the flow of urine.Penile implant surgery (Insertion of a penile prosthesis (inflatable or malleable))An operation to place a device inside the penis that allows a man with long-standing erectile dysfunction to get an erection when other treatments have not worked.Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) (Percutaneous nephrolithotomy)Keyhole surgery to remove large or complex kidney stones through a small cut in the back, using a telescope passed directly into the kidney.Prostate biopsy (Prostate biopsy (transperineal or transrectal, usually MRI-guided))A test that takes small tissue samples from the prostate, usually after an MRI scan, to find out whether a suspicious area contains cancer and, if so, how aggressive it is.Prostate removal for cancer (Radical prostatectomy)An operation to remove the whole prostate gland to treat prostate cancer that is contained within, or close to, the prostate.Prostate surgery (TURP) (Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP))An operation that removes the inner part of an enlarged prostate through the penis to improve the flow of urine.Rezum and UroLift for an enlarged prostate (Rezum (water vapour therapy) and UroLift (prostatic urethral lift))Two minimally invasive treatments that ease urinary symptoms from an enlarged prostate while aiming to protect sexual function.Shockwave treatment for kidney stones (Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL))A non-surgical treatment that uses focused sound waves to break kidney or ureter stones into small pieces you can pass in your urine.Testicle removal (orchidectomy) (Orchidectomy (orchiectomy))An operation to remove a testicle, most often through a cut in the groin, used mainly to diagnose and treat a suspected testicular cancer.Treatment for urinary incontinence (Management of urinary incontinence (stress, urgency and mixed))An overview of the options for leaking urine, from pelvic floor exercises and lifestyle changes first, through medicines, injections and, for some people, surgery.Ureteric stent insertion (insertion of a ureteric (JJ / double-J) stent)A short procedure to place a soft, hollow tube inside the ureter so urine can drain from the kidney to the bladder when the natural drainage is blocked or at risk.Varicocele treatment (varicocele repair (surgical ligation or radiological embolisation))Treatment to block or tie off enlarged veins in the scrotum, usually offered for ongoing pain, a size difference between the testicles, or some fertility problems.Vasectomy (Vasectomy (male sterilisation))A small operation that cuts and seals the tubes carrying sperm, used as a permanent form of contraception for men.Vasectomy reversal (vasectomy reversal (vasovasostomy or vasoepididymostomy))Microsurgery to rejoin the tubes that were cut or sealed at a vasectomy, aiming to allow sperm back into the semen so a man may father children again.
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