Conditions
Urological conditions – what you need to know
Explanations in plain language: what the condition is, what the symptoms are, how it is diagnosed and what the treatment options are. The articles are for information only – if you have symptoms, book a consultation.
Prostate
Enlarged prostate, prostatitis, prostate cancer and what PSA means.
- Enlarged prostate (BPH) – symptoms, diagnosis and treatmentBenign prostatic hyperplasia affects a large proportion of men over 50. How to recognise it and when medication or surgery is needed.
- Prostate cancer – early detection, symptoms and treatmentProstate cancer is the most common cancer in men, but when it is found early it can be treated successfully. What you need to know about early detection, diagnosis and treatment.
- Prostatitis – acute and chronic: symptoms and treatmentProstatitis covers several different conditions – from an acute bacterial infection, which is an emergency, to chronic pelvic pain. How to tell them apart and which treatment brings real results.
- PSA test – what it shows and what a raised PSA meansPSA is a blood marker for the prostate that rises in cancer, but also with an enlarged prostate, inflammation or irritation. How it is interpreted and what happens next if the value is raised.
Kidneys
Stones, renal colic, kidney blockage, cysts, tumours and blood in the urine.
- Blood in the urine (haematuria) – causes and what to doBlood in the urine can come from an infection or a stone, but painless haematuria is a warning sign that must always be investigated. Which tests are needed and when to act urgently.
- Hydronephrosis – a blocked and swollen kidneyHydronephrosis is swelling of the renal pelvis caused by a blockage or a build-up of urine. Why it happens, when it is dangerous for the kidney and how the cause is treated.
- Kidney cysts – are they dangerous and when are they treated?Simple kidney cysts are common after the age of 50 and are almost always harmless. Which cysts need follow-up or surgery, and what polycystic kidney disease is.
- Kidney stones – symptoms, causes and treatmentKidney stones are among the most common urological conditions. How to recognise them, when they can pass on their own and which modern methods remove them without an incision.
- Kidney tumours and kidney cancer – symptoms and modern treatmentMost kidney tumours today are found by chance and at an early stage, when treatment is most successful. What the finding means, which tests follow and when surgery is needed.
- Renal colic (kidney stone attack) – what to doRenal colic is sudden, wave-like pain in the side of the lower back, most often caused by a stone stuck in the ureter. What helps at home, which signs are urgent and how the stone is removed.
Bladder and urination
Cystitis and urinary infections, difficult and frequent urination, incontinence, strictures, bladder tumours.
- Bladder cancer – symptoms, diagnosis and treatmentBladder cancer most often shows itself with painless blood in the urine and is found by cystoscopy. Risk factors, treatment of superficial and invasive tumours, and why follow-up is for life.
- Bladder stones – causes and treatmentBladder stones form most often in men with an enlarged prostate whose bladder does not empty completely. How they are recognised, how they are broken up endoscopically and why the cause must be treated too.
- Cystitis – symptoms, causes and treatmentCystitis is inflammation of the bladder that causes burning, frequent urges to pass urine and pain low in the abdomen. When it clears up quickly and when the cause needs to be investigated.
- Difficulty urinating and urinary retentionA weak stream, straining and a feeling that the bladder has not emptied are signs of an obstruction to the outflow of urine or of a weakened bladder. What causes them, when urinary retention is urgent and how it is treated.
- Frequent urination and night-time urination (nocturia)Frequent urination and getting up at night can be a sign of an enlarged prostate, an overactive bladder, an infection or a general illness. How the cause is found and what really helps.
- Overactive bladder – sudden urges and frequent urinationAn overactive bladder shows itself with sudden urges that are hard to put off, frequent urination and getting up at night, sometimes with leaking. The diagnosis is made after infection and other causes have been ruled out, and treatment is given in steps.
- Urethral stricture – narrowing of the urethraA stricture is a scar-tissue narrowing of the urethra that stops urine from flowing freely. It occurs almost only in men and is treated endoscopically or with reconstructive surgery, depending on the length and location of the narrowing.
- Urethritis – inflammation of the urethraUrethritis is inflammation of the urethra (the urinary channel), most often caused by a sexually transmitted infection. It causes burning when passing urine and a discharge, and is treated with an antibiotic matched to the cause – always together with your partner.
- Urinary incontinence – types and treatmentIncontinence is the involuntary leakage of urine – during physical effort, with a sudden urge or because of an overfull bladder. Most types respond well when the type is identified accurately and treatment starts in good time.
- Urinary tract infections (UTIs) – types and treatmentUrinary tract infections range from mild cystitis to dangerous pyelonephritis. How they differ, when they count as complicated and how to treat them properly, without unnecessary antibiotics.
Men's health
Phimosis, short frenulum, varicocele and hydrocele, genital warts, erections, testicles, fertility.
- A lump, swelling or pain in the testicle – what it can meanMost lumps and swellings in the scrotum are benign – cysts, hydrocele, varicocele or inflammation. A small proportion, however, are tumours, and sudden severe pain may be torsion, so any change in a testicle should be checked with an ultrasound scan without delay.
- Balanitis and balanoposthitis – inflammation of the glansBalanitis is inflammation of the head (glans) of the penis, and balanoposthitis also involves the foreskin. It is most often caused by fungi, bacteria or irritation, and repeated episodes often have diabetes, a skin condition or phimosis behind them.
- Erectile dysfunction – causes and modern treatmentErectile dysfunction is a persistent inability to get or keep an erection firm enough for sex. It is often an early warning sign of vascular disease or diabetes, and in most cases it responds well to treatment.
- Genital warts (condylomas) – causes, symptoms and treatmentGenital warts are warts on the genitals caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) and passed on through sexual contact. They are removed with medication or procedures at the practice, and an examination tells them apart from other growths.
- Hydrocele – fluid around the testicleA hydrocele is a build-up of fluid in the layers around the testicle, causing a painless swelling of the scrotum. In babies it often goes away on its own; in adults it is treated surgically when it is bothersome or growing.
- Male infertility – causes, tests and treatmentIn roughly half of all couples who have trouble conceiving there is a male factor. A semen analysis, hormone tests and ultrasound find the cause, and varicocele, infections and hormonal disorders can often be treated.
- Pearly penile papules (white spots on the penis) – a normal variant or a disease?Pearly penile papules are tiny whitish bumps in one or more rows around the rim of the glans. They are a normal anatomical variant – not an infection, not transmissible and not in need of treatment – and an examination tells them apart from genital warts and other growths.
- Peyronie's disease – curvature of the penisPeyronie's disease is the formation of a firm scar-tissue plaque in the sheath of the penis, causing painful erections and curvature. In the active phase it is monitored and the symptoms eased; when a stable deformity interferes with your sex life, surgery is discussed.
- Phimosis in adults – symptoms and treatmentPhimosis in adults is a narrowing of the foreskin that gets in the way of hygiene, erections and sex. When a cream helps, when circumcision is needed and why paraphimosis is an emergency.
- Premature ejaculation – causes and treatmentPremature ejaculation is the most common sexual complaint in men. It can be present from the first sexual experiences or appear later – often because of prostatitis, weaker erections or anxiety – and in most cases it responds well to treatment.
- Short frenulum (frenulum breve) – symptoms and treatmentA short frenulum pulls and bends the head of the penis during an erection, and it hurts and tears during sex. In most cases a short outpatient frenulotomy under local anaesthetic solves the problem for good.
- Testicular cancer – early signs and treatmentTesticular cancer mainly affects young men and most often shows up as a firm, painless lump. Found in time, it is one of the most treatable cancers – which is why any change in a testicle should be checked without delay.
- Testicular torsion – a medical emergencyA twisted testicle has its blood supply cut off and can be lost within hours. Sudden severe pain in the scrotum, especially in a boy or young man, needs an emergency department or 112 straight away – not waiting for an appointment.
- Varicocele – enlarged veins in the scrotumA varicocele is an enlargement of the veins in the spermatic cord, most often on the left. It often causes no symptoms, but it can cause heaviness in the scrotum and reduce sperm quality. When it is monitored and when it is operated on.
Paediatric urology
The most common urological problems in children and when a child should be seen.
- Bedwetting (nocturnal enuresis) in childrenBedwetting after the age of five is common, it is not the child's fault and it can be treated successfully. How primary and secondary enuresis differ, what the urologist rules out and when an alarm and medication help.
- Phimosis in children – when it is normal and when it needs treatmentIn most boys the foreskin does not pull back in the first years of life, and this is normal. When phimosis in children is a problem, when a cream helps and when circumcision is considered – a calm explanation for parents.
- Undescended testicle (cryptorchidism) in childrenIf a testicle has not come down into the scrotum by six months of age, it almost never comes down on its own. Why surgery is planned before the end of the first year, how it differs from a retractile testicle and what the urologist checks afterwards.
- Urinary tract infections in childrenIn young children a urinary infection often shows up only as a fever with no obvious cause. How to recognise it, how to collect urine correctly, when antibiotics and an ultrasound are needed, and how to protect your child's kidneys.