Urological

The Urological Procedures our doctors can perform fall under one of these categories.

• Nephrostomy Catheter Placement: placement of a catheter through the skin when a traditional catheter is not possible.
• Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) for Renal Tumors: destruction of tumor tissue using radiofrequency energy.
• Ureteral Stenting: placement of a mesh tube (stent) to widen and support the ureter during healing or blockage.
• Varicoseal Embolizations: blocking (embolization) of a blood vessel to treat varicose veins in the testicles.

Percutaneous nephrostomy catheters are used to provide bladder relief when the ureter is unable to function normally, such as when there is a blockage or a hole, or when surgery will be performed on the kidney or ureter.

The catheter is placed by using x-ray to precisely locate your kidney, then placing a hollow needle into the kidney. A tube is then guided into the kidney, and will allow urine to drain from your kidney into a bag that can be strapped to your leg.

Percutaneous nephostomy catheter placement is a needle-based procedure that our doctors perform at Good Samaritan Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. The procedure takes less than an hour, and a short hospital stay is expected.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a procedure that uses radio waves to destroy damaged or abnormal tissue. It may be used to close a damaged vein to force healthy veins to take over its function. It may be used to destroy cancerous tumors in the liver or lungs.

When RFA is used to treat tumors, a hollow needle is guided directly into the tumor using fluoroscopy (live X-ray) for guidance to ensure precise placement. Once the needle is in place, a set of tiny metal wires is extended and radiofrequency energy is applied.

When RFA is used to treat damaged or malformed blood vessels, the tiny metal wires are transported to the correct location with a catheter that travels through your blood vessels.

Radiofrequency ablation (RF ablation) is used to treat benign tumors, called osteoid osteomas, that usually occur in teenagers and young adults. These painful lesions can be treated by using radiofrequency energy to destroy the lesions and immediately adjacent surrounding tissue, which relieves the pain.

This needle-based procedure is performed at our freestanding facility in Dayton, Ohio, and requires no overnight stay.

The ureters are narrow tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder. This tube may become blocked or damaged, preventing urine from flowing freely. Blockage may be caused by kidney stones, cancer, blood clots, or infection.

A ureteral stent is a tube that is placed in the ureter to allow urine to flow from the kidney to the bladder. It is generally left in place until the ureter has healed or the reason for the blockage has been treated.

Ureteral stents are usually inserted through the urethra and threaded up to the ureter. If this insertion method fails, it can be inserted through the skin in a needle-based procedure similar to nephrostomy catheter placement.

Ureteral stenting can be performed in our freestanding facility. The procedure takes about an hour and no overnight stay is required.

A varicocele is an enlargement of a vein or veins of the scrotum, much like varicose veins in the legs. It occurs primarily in young men, and is caused by incompetent valves in the blood vessels that allow blood to flow backward. It can cause pain, shrinking of the testicles, or infertility.

Varicocele can be treated by open surgery, but our doctors can treat them with a minimally-invasive procedure called varicocele embolization, in which the malfunctioning blood vessels are blocked by tiny polyvinyl particles, forcing healthy veins to take over the transport of blood.

A long flexible catheter is inserted into your blood vessel through a tiny incision and guided via fluoscopy (live X-ray) to the site of the varicocele. The tiny particles are released, blocking the flow of blood, and the damaged veins are then bypassed. This procedure is as successful as open surgery at treating varicocele, requires no hospital stay, and has fewer side effects. The symptoms of varicocele are typically reversed by varicocele embolization.

Varicocele embolization is a catheter-based procedure that our doctors perform at our freestanding facility. The procedure takes about an hour and no overnight stay is required.