Urology

In urology, we treat male and female kidney and urinary tract disorders and male genital disorders. We also engage in research and give patients surgical and medicinal treatments.

Cancer treatments form a significant part of urology. Disorders that we treat surgically include tumors in the kidneys, bladder and prostate; benign prostate hyperplasia; bladder stones; urinary tract injuries and urethral strictures.

Urology also includes examinations and treatment for male and female functional urological disorders and incontinence. The specialty further includes hormonal, functional and reproductive disorders of the male genitalia.

Benign prostate hyperplasia is the most common cause of male functional urological disorders. Another important cause is cancer in the urinary tract or genitalia, particularly prostate cancer.

The most demanding procedures in urology are bladder removal and neobladder reconstruction using the small intestine, removing large kidney tumors surgically, and removing peritoneal metastases in testicular and penile cancer patients. Reconstructive urology, treating urethral strictures, artificial urinary sphincter surgery, gender reassignment surgery, and laparoscopy and robot-assisted procedures require special expertise.

We perform most of our procedures by laparoscopy through the urinary tract or the peritoneal cavity. The procedure that we do the most of is laparoscopic treatment of benign prostate hyperplasia through the urethra. The majority of prostatectomies performed at Helsinki University Hospital because of prostate cancer are performed using robot-assisted keyhole surgery. Traditional open surgery is still used in operations for a significant percentage of large kidney tumors and invasive bladder cancer.

In addition to keyhole surgery and open surgery, we perform extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy for bladder stones. Medicinal treatments are used in a significant percentage of urology cases.

We have nationwide centralized responsibility for:

demanding urethral stricture surgeries,
operations on large kidney tumors encroaching on major blood vessels,
procedures to treat bladder stones (extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, ESWL, and removal of large stones in the renal pelvis by laparoscopy), and
robot-assisted urological keyhole surgery.

We also have nationwide centralized responsibility for gender reassignment surgeries and patient monitoring in which our experts participate.