Urinary Tract Surgery

Among the things encompassed by urology, also included is dealing with various tumors in the urinary system and in the male reproductive system. These tumors can occur in the urinary bladder, in the urethra and in the testicles (in men only, of course) and in the kidney. Herzliya Medical Center Hospital invites you to undergo surgery to remove tumors in these organs by an advanced method, in superb hospitalization conditions, performed by specialist urologists, with instrumentation ranking among the most advanced in the world.

So that you can appreciate what these operations include and when they are performed, we have put some essential general information together here about the various procedures.

Urinary tract tumors

Malignant tumors in the urinary tract occur mostly in the urinary bladder (more common in men) or in the urethral tube. Their occurrence usually manifests as blood in the urine, a burning sensation when urinating, irritation in this region, and more. The operation itself is today performed by a minimally invasive approach, in the framework of which the physician avoids making an incision in the patient’s skin.

Prior to the operation, the urologist will usually perform cystoscopy – an examination during which he can comprehensively survey the urinary bladder and the entire length of the urethral tube, with the objective of locating the tumors and assessing their exact sizes and locations.

During the cystoscopy, a tiny tube is introduced to the urethra. At the tip of the tube, there is a video camera, enabling the physician to receive a full picture of the internal part of the male reproductive and urinary system. This is an examination that takes a few minutes, during which the patient is given anesthetic and analgesic so that he feels nothing.

An operation to remove tumors from the urinary tract is performed by the same method but under general or regional anesthesia. A camera is introduced via the urethral tube, followed by a particularly slim instrument, which can be used both to remove the tumor and to cauterize the blood vessels to prevent bleeding. The entire procedure takes between half an hour and an hour.

Tumors in the testicles

Testicular cancer is considered to be one of the rarer types of cancer in men, much rarer than cancer of the urinary bladder or prostate cancer. Even better news is the high percentage of patients who fully recover from this cancer – a rate of some 98%.

Tumors in the testicles can appear in the form of strange ‘heaviness’ in the scrotum, a rigid or soft mass, the formation of fluids in the scrotum, and more. Tumors in the testicles can be discovered in a routine examination, but the person himself can locate the tumor by simple palpation. Men are actually advised to carry out such a self-examination periodically, just as women are advised to examine themselves for masses in the breast.

In the event that tumors are discovered in the testicles, the recommended treatment is removal. If the tumor is found in one testicle, that testicle only will be removed – which will not impair the man’s libido or sexual fitness. In instances of tumors in both testicles or the discovery of a malignant finding that requires chemotherapy, semen cryopreservation is recommended prior to commencing treatment.

Removal of the testicle is performed, of course, under general anesthesia, via an incision in the bottom part of the groin. If the patient so requests, a prosthetic testicle can be implanted in the scrotum in place of that removed – which is done for aesthetic reasons only.

Tumors of the kidney

The kidney is one of the important internal organs of the human body. It is the kidney that filters the blood that passes through our bodily systems, determines the concentration of urine and its components, and effectively “produces” it. Kidney tumors are therefore clearly within the realm of urology.

Kidney operations are not simple. Since this is an important internal organ, as mentioned above, without which one cannot live (as opposed, for example, to the spleen), the approach to this is complex. However, with the help of advanced medical technology, kidney surgery can today also be performed by a minimally invasive approach, this ensuring a less difficult operation, with recovery that is not too prolonged.

Medical technology also makes it much easier to locate kidney tumors, already at very early stages of their development. In the past, the location of the kidney made it very difficult for physicians to find tumors until an advanced stage, which influenced the patient’s health and chances for a cure. Today, kidney tumors can be located when they are tiny in size, in a state where that has not yet caused significant damage to surrounding tissue. Additionally, according to various studies, kidney tumors that are smaller than four centimeters in size have not yet had a chance to metastasize to other body organs.

Kidney operations are today performed, as mentioned above, mainly using laparoscopy, during which tiny surgical instruments are introduced via a tiny incision in the waist, and the tumor is removed. When the operation is performed at an early diagnostic stage, there is usually no need for radical (complete) removal of the kidney, and its full function can also be retained after the operation.