The urologist is a surgeon specializing in disorders of the urinary and genital tracts. He graduated in general surgery and complementary specialized studies of urology. It can be consulted for surgical or drug treatment or screening. Urology is a medico-surgical field interested in the study and treatment of conditions affecting the urinary system made up of the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra, and the prostate in l ‘man. The nephrologist treats renal pathologies.
The urologist is also in charge of the male genitalia, while it is the gynecologist who performs this function in women. The urologist supports prostate diseases (infections, cancer, or adenomas).
It also treats disorders such as urinary incontinence, urinary tract infections, renal colic, male infertility, vaginal dryness in women, or erectile dysfunction in men. The urologist also takes care of pathologies such as prostate or bladder cancer.
When To Consult Him?
“Faced with urinary or genital symptoms, the urology consultation should not be neglected or avoided in men. Whatever the disease involved, the earlier the diagnosis, the faster the cure.
In women, the urologist can intervene to treat pathologies related to the urinary system (kidneys, ureters, and bladder): urinary incontinence, acute or chronic cystitis, pyelonephritis, tumors with urology medical equipment. In women, the reproductive system’s disorders are most often managed by a gynecologist rather than a urologist.
Men may have to consult a urologist in the event of a disease of the urinary system or the genital system: benign prostatic hyperplasia, kidney stones, incontinence, erectile dysfunction, urinary or prostate infections. The urologist also takes care of the forms of cancer that affect the organs of the urogenital system: prostate cancer, testicular cancer, kidney cancer. It can be consulted for prevention, for screening, or as part of treatment.
Pediatric Urologist: In Which Case?
Some urologists have a pediatric specialty. They usually work in pediatric surgical departments in hospitals. Parents can consult a urologist for their child in the following situations: phimosis, malformations of the genital or urinary tract, bedwetting, daytime incontinence, recurrent urinary tract infections.
How Is A Urology Consultation Carried Out?
Like any consultation, the urology consultation begins with an interview: the urologist questions the patient about his symptoms and personal and family history. The doctor then performs a clinical examination. Most of the time, a perineum examination and digital rectal exam can be done. The performance of additional examinations depends on the patient’s symptoms and sometimes requires a second appointment. It may be an ECBU (cytobacteriological examination of the urine), flowmetry, cystoscopy, urodynamic workup, ultrasound of the urinary tract or prostate, or simplex-rays.