Northland DHB Urology

Public Service

Description

What is Urology?
Urology is the branch of medicine that looks at diseases of the urinary system in females and the genitourinary system (urinary system plus genital organs) in males.

The urinary system is made up of the:

kidneys (where urine is formed from material filtered out of the blood)
ureters (tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder)
bladder (a balloon-like organ that stores urine)
sphincter muscles (muscles around the opening of the bladder into the urethra)
urethra (the tube that carries urine to the outside of your body).

The male genital organs include the penis, scrotum and prostate gland. The prostate is a walnut-sized gland located between the bladder and the penis and in front of the rectum. The urethra passes through the center of the prostate.

A doctor who specialises in disorders of the urinary system and also the male reproductive system is known as an urologist. A doctor who specialises in kidneys and their function is called a nephrologist.

Referral Expectations

The Urology Service admits patients for a wide range of interventional and diagnostic procedures from large bladder reconstructive surgery to small day cases. Patient through-put is generally quick, ranging from one to two days.

Common Conditions / Procedures / Treatments

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) More
Bladder Cancer

What causes bladder cancer is not always clear, but the risk of developing bladder cancer can be increased by smoking, getting older, long term bladder problems and unsafe exposure to aniline dyes which are used in some industries.… More
Cystoscopy

Cystoscopy More
Haematuria

Haematuria (blood in urine) More
Kidney (Renal) Failure

Kidney Disease - Renal Failure More
Kidney Stones

Kidney Stones More
Prostate Cancer

Prostate Cancer More
Prostatitis

Prostatitis More
Proteinuria

This term means protein in the urine and may indicate that there is a problem with your kidneys. More
Urinalysis

Urinalysis More
Urinary Incontinence

Urinary Incontinence More
Urinary Retention

Urinary retention, or abnormal holding of urine in the bladder, is a common urological problem.… More
Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) More
Urodynamic Tests

Urodynamic tests measure the storage of urine in the bladder and the flow of urine from the bladder through the urethra.… More