Urology is a medical specialty that deals with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, aftercare and rehabilitation of diseases, functional disorders, malformations and injuries of the male and female urinary and urinary tract organs. This includes disorders of the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra.
Urology specialists also treat diseases, malformations and injuries to the male reproductive organs(testicles and epididymis, vas deferens, penis and prostate).
Urology specialists are called urologists. In order to be allowed to use the title of urology specialist, urologists must have completed at least 5 years of further training.
At a urology clinic, prospective urologists acquire knowledge that is specified in the model training regulations of the German Medical Association and that enables urology specialists to reliably recognize and effectively treat diseases, infections, injuries and malformations of the male urogenital system and the female urinary organs.
They also learn how to safely treat urogenital emergencies. Urology experts work either in urology clinics or as freelance urologists in private practice.
Men often come into contact with a urologist for the first time during the early detection of prostate cancer. But prostate cancer is not the only disease that urology experts deal with.
The spectrum of urological diseases in women and urogenital disorders in men is broad. These include, for example,
the following diseases and disorders:
As the spectrum of urological and urogenital disorders is very broad, experts have a wide range of diagnostic options at their disposal, some of which can often only be offered at specialized urology clinics due to the space and financial conditions required.
As part of the anamnesis, urologists ask questions such as
- about the patient's medical history,
- current symptoms and problems as well as
- the localization,
- the time of occurrence and
- the severity
of the symptoms.
However, the physical examination is also particularly important, during which the experts, depending on the symptoms
or the vagina. This can be done with the fingers/hands or with the aid of medical instruments.
The urology specialists can use urine and blood tests to detect infections, bleeding, metabolic disorders or other disorders, for example.
Urodynamic examinations, such as
- Urinary stream measurement,
- Urinary bladder pressure measurement (cystometry),
- urethral pressure profile, pelvic floor EMG)
provide the experts with further information about the underlying disorder. Tumor markers are also determined in the follow-up of prostate cancer, among other things.
With the help of sonography (e.g. transrectal ultrasound of the prostate, TRUS), urologists can detect changes in the organs that cannot be seen with the naked eye.
In the field of X-ray examinations, various procedures have been established for a wide range of issues (e.g. excretory urography, micturition cysturethrography, retrograde urethrography, retrograde pyelography), some of which are quite complex and are therefore often only available in one clinic (e.g. computer tomography).
For some diseases, urology clinics also use more advanced imaging procedures such as magnetic resonance imaging(MRI), renal scintigraphy and positron emission tomography(PET).
The MRI examination is carried out using a magnetic field @ Mark Kostich / AdobeStock
Urology clinics can usually offer the entire range of conservative and surgical urology services (urological surgery). Urological surgery, which can be either minimally invasive or open, includes the following surgical treatments, for example:
Conservative treatments in urology include the use of medication, for example to treat infections and benign prostate enlargement.
Chemotherapeutic agents are used in the treatment of cancer. The treatment of incontinence with physiotherapy exercises and drug therapy can provide relief. Urinary stones and erectile dysfunction are sometimes also treated with medication. In addition to lifestyle changes, hormones are also used to treat the male menopause.
It is not possible to designate a clinic as the "best clinic" or "top clinic" for urology. However, there are doctors and clinics that specialize in the treatment of urological diseases and have a great deal of experience. You can find these urology experts in the Leading Medicine Guide.
Only selected highly qualified medical experts and specialists are presented in the Leading Medicine Guide. All listed doctors have a high level of specialist expertise, have excellent experience in the field of urology and meet the strict inclusion criteria of the Leading Medicine Guide.
