If you have a urinary tract blockage, the doctor must drain the urine from your bladder to prevent kidney damage and relieve any serious discomfort. This can be accomplished in several ways: a catheter (small tube) can be inserted through your...
There are several medical reasons your doctor may perform a bladder distention. If you have a history of cystitis, bladder or pelvic pain or if you recently developed symptoms of pain and/or incontinence, this diagnostic procedure will allow your...
Bladder cancer, according to the Mayo Clinic, is a cancer that usually begins in the cells that line the inside of the bladder. While usually occurring in older adults, younger adults can receive a diagnosis as well. The treatment for this disease...
Bladder cancer is the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and the ninth most common cancer in women, reports the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. There are several ways of treating bladder cancer, based on the stage and extent of...
Prostate biopsy is a procedure that helps to decide whether patients have prostate cancer or not. Prostate biopsy involves taking and analyzing small samples of the prostate gland to detect cancerous cells. Transurethral prostate biopsy is a type...
If prostate cancer is suspected, your doctor might want to take a biopsy of your prostate. A biopsy is when a small piece of tissue is taken from an organ in order to get a closer look at cells that may be abnormal. For prostate biopsies, there...
Cystitis, or inflammation of the bladder, is caused by a bacterial infection. When any component of the urinary tract becomes infected, it is often referred to as a urinary tract infection (UTI). When the UTI goes untreated, or spreads to the...
The bladder is an organ in the lower abdomen that stores urine; when malignant cells form in the tissues in the bladder, a diagnosis of bladder cancer is made. After diagnosis, staging occurs. Staging cancer involves using a standardized system to...
There are some risk factors for developing bladder cancer that are out of our control. Men, those over the age of 40 and Caucasians are more likely to develop the disease. However, researchers have identified other risk factors we can control to...
A leading cause of obstructive uropathy is the presence of stones in the ureters and bladder. As with kidney stones, the first line of treatment is to drink plenty of fluids, as this will help the body produce urine sufficient to move the stones...
Pyelonephritis is a kidney infection caused by bacteria entering the urinary tract and ascending to the bladder and through the ureters (tubes which carry urine from the kidneys). It is one of the most common types of renal diseases, and is also...
There are numerous types of bladder conditions. The bladder is a hollow, muscular organ located in a person's lower abdomen that stores urine prior to evacuation. Doctors use several tests to diagnose bladder problems, including urine tests,...
More than 70,000 new diagnoses of bladder cancer will be made in 2010 in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society; and more than 14,000 people will die from the disease. There are several treatments for this cancer, but the kind...
As men age, they are at greater risk of developing an enlarged prostate--a condition also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia. Doctors may conduct a variety of tests in an effort to confirm the presence of an enlarged prostate; determine the...
Cystitis is the inflammation of the urinary bladder that is characterized by frequent and painful urination, low grade fever, discomfort in the pelvic area, nausea, and vomiting. A sample of urine from the patient is the most common specimen. The...
Numerous bladder disorders can manifest in men. According to Medline Plus and the National Institutes of Health, the bladder is a hollow organ in the lower abdomen that collects and stores urine. Men and women can experience many of the same...
Ureteric reflux happens in children when a deficiency or weakness in the muscle that connects the bladder and ureter allows urine to wash back up from the bladder into the kidney. If your child has this condition, the urine itself will pose no...
Overactive bladder (OAB) is a forms of bladder dysfunction that may lead to loss of urine control (incontinence). People experiencing overactive bladder are not an isolated group; an estimated 13 million Americans experience OAB or other forms of...
If you experience hematuria, or the presence of blood in your urine, this may be caused by a number of different conditions. If you notice blood in your urine, it is important to make an appointment with your doctor right away, so that the cause...
There are many causes of flank pain. Flank pain is pain that manifests on the side of the trunk, between the abdomen and the back. It may indicate a problem with the kidneys, especially if the flank pain is accompanied by fever, chills, bloody...
A bladder infection is also known to be a urinary tract infection (UTI). It is an infection that occurs anywhere in the urinary tract, and bacteria are the cause of a bladder infection. The number of people who get bladder infections total in the...
Various health conditions may contribute to strong-smelling urine. Urine odor refers to the scent of your urine as you void it from your bladder. The smell of urine ranges from sweet to foul, depending on the underlying health problems or...
The prostate is an exocrine gland of the male reproductive system. Its function is to secrete a white fluid that constitutes one-fourth of all the components in the semen. This fluid is alkaline in nature, and it neutralizes the acidity in the...
Urethral cancer is caused by the formation of cancer cells in the tissues of the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder to outside the body. Urethral cancer is rare and occurs more often in women than in men. Urethral cancer can...
Interstitial cystitis, or IC, results in recurring discomfort or pain in the bladder and the surrounding pelvic region. The symptoms of IC may range from frequent urination to severe pain and urgency. The cause for IC remains unknown, but certain...
Urinary tract infections are caused by bacteria that get into any part of the urinary tract. These infections can cause pain and discomfort and also have the ability to spread to the kidneys, where they can cause severe complications. A treatment...
Bladder calculi, or stones, are minerals that build up over time in the urinary bladder. These stones can be different in size, shape and mineral content. Bladder stones in children are rare when compared with the adult population and present...
Urinary tract infections, or UTIs, are common in older people. When urine remains in the bladder too long, a condition called bladder retention, bacteria are able to grow freely and cause an infection in the bladder or kidneys. Causes of urinary...
Cystoscopy is a urologic procedure where a doctor inspects the inside of the bladder with a scope. The cystoscopic procedure can evaluate recurrent infections, check the prostate, look for bladder polyps and investigate urinary bleeding. It is...
Bladder stones are small masses of minerals that form in your bladder, the balloon-shaped organ in your pelvis that stores urine. Bladder stones, also called bladder calculi, often form when concentrated urine sits in your bladder. Bladder stones...
