Treatment for many urinary symptoms will often be non-surgical (conservative).
Some symptoms may be relieved by making simple lifestyle changes, like reducing the amount of caffeine or alcohol you drink.
Pelvic floor muscle exercise or bladder training will often help to manage incontinence, and our experienced on-site physiotherapy team will be able to help you with this.
Prescribed medication such as tablets or antibiotics can be effective at treating a number of conditions, such as recurrent UTIs, stress incontinence, erectile dysfunction or an enlarged prostate.
If conservative treatments are not able to relieve your symptoms, or are not effective, you may require surgery.
Surgery for urinary conditions is often with cystoscopy (both flexible cystoscopy and rigid cystoscopy can be carried out at Bath Clinic). A cystoscope is a thin tube with a camera. Passed through your urethra and into the bladder, it gives your urologist an excellent view of these internal structures, allowing them to look for any abnormalities, such as stones, growths or blockages.
Certain conditions can be treated at the same time as a cystoscopy by passing special surgical tools through the cystoscope. For example, small stones can be removed from the bladder, or a biopsy taken if required.
Many types of procedures within the urinary tract can be carried out by laparoscopy (keyhole surgery). This minimally invasive surgery uses only small incisions (cuts) in the skin, leading to less pain, a faster recovery and less scarring.
Stones in the kidney or renal tract can be treated in different ways, and your urologist will discuss suitable options with you once a diagnosis has been made.
A urethrotomy can be carried out to repair a narrowing in the urethra that has been caused by injury, inflammation or infection.
At Bath Clinic, we offer advanced cancer diagnostics, with specialist MRI scans of the prostate and prostate biopsies (including transrectal ultrasound guided biopsies and saturation biopsies) available.
If cancer is found in the prostate, kidney, bladder or testicles, treatment may be with surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Your urologist will work closely with the on-site oncology team to ensure you receive the most appropriate and effective treatment available for your specific cancer.
A transurethral resection of a bladder tumour (TURBT) may be carried out to establish the type of bladder tumour present and to scrape away (resecting) a superficial tumour.
Kidney cancer may be treated in a number of ways, including surgery or medication. Treatment options will depend on its exact location on the kidney, its size and whether it has spread outside the kidney. Complete removal of a kidney may be needed in some cases.
A radical prostatectomy (complete remove of the prostate and seminal vesicles) may be advised if prostate cancer is found that has not yet spread outside the prostate.
Testicular cancer is normally treated by surgically removing the testicle (this is known as an orchidectomy). An artificial prosthesis may then be inserted into the scrotum in order to give it a more natural appearance.
Where an enlarged prostate is causing problems by pressing on the urethra, surgery can be carried out to reduce its size. Trans-urethral resection of the prostate (TURP) involves removing enough prostate tissue to relive the pressure on your urethra.
For men, the following are also offered at Bath Clinic:
- Circumcision
- Circumcision revision
- Vasectomy
- Vasectomy reversal – not usually available on the NHS
With a wide range of treatments available, both conservative and surgical, help is available for you from highly experienced urologists. Treatment is always tailored to your specific needs.
If you have any concerns or would like to discuss treatment options for your condition, the best way to move things forward is to book a private urology appointment in Bath.