Urological Surgery

When medication and other non-surgical treatments are either unavailable or cannot relieve symptoms, surgery is the accepted treatment for a broad range of conditions that affect the male reproductive organs and the organs of the urinary tract. These conditions include, but are not limited to, prostate cancer, ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction, bladder and kidney cancer and vesicoureteral reflux.

Facing any kind of urologic surgery creates a great deal of anxiety for most men. Among your concerns is: “Will my body function normally following surgery?” Traditional open urologic surgery – in which large incisions are made to access the pelvic organs – has been the standard approach when surgery is warranted. Yet common drawbacks of this procedure include significant post-surgical pain, a lengthy recovery and an unpredictable, potentially long-term impact on continence and sexual function.

Fortunately, less invasive surgical options are available to many patients facing urologic surgery. The most common of these is laparoscopy, which uses small incisions. While laparoscopy can be very effective for many routine procedures, limitations of this technology prevent its use for more complex urologic surgeries. Ballad Health provides urological surgery serving East Tennessee and Southwest Virgina.

Procedures

• Laparoscopic nephrectomy
• Reconstructive urologic surgery
• Shock wave lithotripsy treatment of kidney stones
• Endoscopic laser ablation treatment of kidney stones
• Laser prostate resection
• Microscopic varicocelectomy and vasectomy reversal

Urologic surgery with the da Vinci system

A new category of surgery, introduced with the development of the da Vinci® Surgical System, is being used by an increasing number of surgeons worldwide for prostatectomy and other urologic procedures.

This minimally invasive approach, utilizing the latest in surgical and robotics technologies, is ideal for delicate urologic surgery. This includes prostatectomy, in which the target site is not only tightly confined but also surrounded by nerves affecting urinary control and sexual function.

Using da Vinci, your surgeon has a better tool to spare surrounding nerves, which may enhance both your recovery experience and clinical outcomes.

Patient benefits

How patients may benefit from the da Vinci Surgical System:

• Minimal surgical incision to skin, only small surgery incisions
• Decreased blood loss
• Decreased postoperative pain and postoperative complications associated with wound infections
• Shorter recovery times
• Nerve sparing – da Vinci (Franklin Woods only)

Robotic-assisted urological surgery

Ballad Health offers robotic-assisted surgery as an option for some urological surgery procedures at many of our facilities.

Robotic-assisted surgery using the da Vinci® surgical system gives your surgeon the most precise tools available to perform delicate procedures with smaller incisions and better outcomes.

• Robot-assisted prostatectomy
• Robot-assisted nephrectomy
• Robot-assisted complex partial nephrectomy
• RITA generator
• Cryotherapy
• Holmium laser

Learn more about robotic-assisted surgery.