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Urinary symptoms in men …

Men may broadly experience three types of urinary symptoms:

1) voiding (obstructive) symptoms:

  • slow flow

  • straining to urinate

  • flow that starts & stops rather than continuous

  • A feeling of incomplete emptying

Or

2) storage (irritative) symptoms:

  • frequency

  • urgency

  • nocturia

Or

3) concerning symptoms:

  • blood in the urine (haematuria)

  • Recurrent urine infections

  • Loss of urine control (incontinence)

  • Pain in the penis, testes, groin, abdomen or perineum.

After a detailed history (asking you questions), Dr Thompson will perform a thorough examination of the abdomen, genitalia and prostate, followed by tests which may include the following:

  • a flow study and ultrasound scan of the bladder in the office

  • blood tests (psa, kidney function, testosterone)

  • urine tests (for infection and cytology)

  • a formal ultrasound or CT of the kidneys, bladder and prostate

  • a flexible Cystoscopy, which is a small fibre optic camera to look inside the urethra, prostate and bladder. This can be done in the office using a local anaesthetic jelly/ lubricant to make the inside of the tube numb, thus it is painless. In some situations or if you prefer, it can also be performed in the operating theatre under sedation / anaesthesia.

The treatment depends on the cause found on all these tests:

  • If there an obstructing prostate, the options are medication, minimally invasive prostate treatments (Urolift clips and Rezum steam therapy) or procedures to open up the prostate by shaving the tissue out of the middle which is causing the blockage (TURP, bipolar TURP, Holep Laser or Greenlight laser).

  • If there is a urethral blockage (stricture), this can be unblocked (dilated)

  • If the bladder is over-active then medication, physio-therapy, Botox injections into the bladder and other surgical treatments are all options

  • if there is a stone or tumour in the bladder, it can be removed which fixes the symptoms.

Dr Thompson will ensure you have a thorough assessment including all relevant investigations.

Once the cause of the symptoms is clear, Dr Thompson will work through all the treatment options with you including the pros and cons of each, to find the treatment that will best fix your symptoms and thus help you restore you good health and quality of life.