The
technical name for the field of Urology is Genitourinary (GU). The
urologists have traditionally provided health care to both the
genital and urinary systems of males and the urinary system in
females, with the Gynecologist caring for the genital system in
females. Recently, the Urologist and Gynecologist have expanded their
roles in the field of Urogynecology.
Females
make up approximately 30% of our urological practice.
Women
experience some of the same urologic diseases as do men, albeit with
different incidence and prevalence; e.g.
Cancers
(Adrenal, Kidney, Bladder and Urethral cancers).
Urinary
stones.
Urinary
infections.
Urinary
injuries.
Voiding
dysfunction.
However,
with the exception of voiding dysfunction, the evaluation and
management of the above disease are similar for both men and women.
What
is female urology?
The
subspecialty of female urology is concerned with the diagnosis and
treatment of those urinary tract disorders other than these &
that are unique & most prevalent in females. These include
urinary incontinence and pelvic floor prolapse, voiding dysfunction,
recurrent urinary tract infection, urethral syndrome and interstitial
cystitis. Expert evaluation of these conditions include a complete
history and physical exam & investigations. The department of
Urology at Dr. Roychowdhury’s Institute of Urology offers a
comprehensive evaluation and treatment plan for these female urologic
disorders.
As a
result of clinical and technological advances of the last 20 years,
we are more knowledgeable and better equipped to diagnose and treat
disorders of the lower urinary tract in females. The new subspecialty
of female urology will continue to expand and reach new horizons in
the 21st Century.
Some
common female urology problems are as follows:
Urinary
tract infections (UTIs)
Urinary
incontinence
Voiding
dysfunction
Urethral
syndrome
Pregnancy
& urinary tract
Interstitial
cystitis
What
is incontinence?
Incontinence
is an involuntary loss of urine. It is further defined by type as
either stress (leakage with straining, coughing, sneezing), urge,
mixed, overflow, functional or reflex incontinence. Treatment is
dependent on the type of incontinence. Current therapies include
dietary changes, scheduled voiding, bladder retraining, pelvic muscle
exercises, biofeedback, electrical stimulation therapy, medication,
collagen implants and minimally invasive surgery.
What
is voiding dysfunction?
Voiding
dysfunction can take many forms. The main symptoms are urinary
frequency, urgency, painful urination and/or incomplete bladder
emptying. Treatment is aimed at decreasing or eliminating symptoms.
Treatment may involve medication or pelvic floor relaxation
exercises.
What
is a recurrent urinary tract infection?
A
recurrent urinary infection (UTI) may be generally defined as three
or more infection within one year. This may be idiopathic (no obvious
cause) or related to urological disorder such as stones, tumor,
reflux (urine flows backwards toward the kidney) or ineffective
bladder emptying. Treatment is aimed at identifying the cause and/or
proper antibiotic therapy to break the cycle of recurrent infection.
What
is urethral syndrome?
Urethral
syndrome is a condition involving pain at the urethra that can occur
during urination or without regard to urination. Treatment may
consist of oral medication or local estrogen replacement therapy.
What
is interstitial cystitis?
Interstitial
Cystitis (IC) is a urologic syndrome characterized by excessive
urinary urgency, frequency, nocturia (night-time urination) and pain
in the lower abdomen and/or perineum. It can occur at any age,
however, the median age at diagnosis is between 42 and 46 years.
In
this article we will discuss only about recurrent UTI &
incontinence in females.
URINARY
TRACT INFECTION IN FEMALES
How
common are UTIs?
Urinary
Tract Infections account for approximately 7 million visits to
physician offices and necessitate or complicate over 1 million
hospital admissions in the United States annually. Indian statistics
are not available. UTIs are more common in women than in men, except
in the neonatal period.
Why
are women more prone to UTIs than men?
Women
are more prone to UTIs than men due to the close proximity of the
urethra, vagina and rectum. Surveys have shown that 1% of school
girls aged 5-14 years have bacteria in the urine. This figure
increases to about 4% by young adulthood.
How
does bacteria get into the urinary tract?
Most
bacteria enter the urinary tract from the fecal reservoir, entering
the urethra, than into the bladder. Bacteria can also enter through
the blood where the kidney is occasionally secondarily infected with
staphylococcus or the fungus Candida.
A
less common source of bacteria is direct extension from adjacent
organs via lymphatics, such as a severe bowel infection or
retroperitoneal abscess.
What
are the most common bacteria found in UTI’s?
As
mentioned previously, most UTIs are caused by facultative anaerobes
from the bowel flora. Escherichia coli is the most common cause of UT
s, accounting for 85% of community — acquired and 50% of hospital —
acquired infections. Other gram negative enterobacteriaceae,
including Proteus and Klebsiella and gram positive Enterococcus
faecalis and Staphylococcus saprophyticus are responsible for the
remainder of most community acquired infections. Nosocomial
infections or hospital acquired UTIs are frequently caused by
Enterococcus faecalis as well as Klebsiella, Enterobacter,
Citrobacter, Serratia, Pseudomonas aeruginoa, Providencia, and Staph
epidermidis.
Are
bladder infections and UTIs the same?
No.
Although it has become commonplace among some physicians to lump all
UTIs together a more specific classification is uncomplicated and
complicated or lower tract vs upper tract (Cystitis vs
Pyelonephritis). Cystitis is an uncomplicated UTI confined to the
lower urinary tract (bladder and urethra), whereas a complicated UTI
involves the upper tract (Kidneys) commonly referred to as
pyelonephritis. Pyelonephritis is more serious and usually involves
fever and flank pain. Lower tract UTIs are characterized by
irritative voiding symptoms such as frequency, burning on urination,
urgency and sensation of incomplete voiding. Complicated
pyelonephritis can lead to bacteria in the blood stream with fever
and vascular collapse (Sepsis). If untreated sepsis can lead to
death. female urologist in jaipur
How
do you diagnose UTI?
For
patients with urinary symptoms, the following should be done:
Microscopic
urine analysis for bacteriuria, pyuria and hematuria should be
In
addition, a urine culture should be done.
When
localization is necessary, ureteral catheterization allows separation
between upper & lower tracts and also separation of infection
between
Are
radiologic studies necessary for UTIs?
Radiology
studies are unnecessary for evaluation of most patients with UTIs.
However, in certain cases, they may be useful to determine if further
intervention is necessary and to find the cause of the complicated
infection. Examples of such cases are: UTI associated with possible
urinary traction obstruction; persistent UTI (pyelonephritis)
unresponsive to medication after one week, patients with papillary
necrosis, diabetes, on dialysis, T. B., proteus or fungus infection;
or persistent/recurrent UTIs. Patients with persistent pyelonephritis
often have perinephritic or renal abscesses.
What
are some of the useful radiology tests and how are they different?
These
tests are as follow:
The
IVP (Excretory Urogram) has been a routine examination to evaluate
patients with complicated infections but is not required in
uncomplicated
The
renal ultrasound or sonogram is noninvasive, easy to perform and
offers no radiation or contrast risk to the patient. It is useful in
eliminating the concern of hydronephrosis associated with urinary
tract infection, pyelonephritis and perirenal abscesses.
The
Computed Tomography (CT) offers the best anatomic detail, but the
cost prevents it from being a screening procedure. It is more
sensitive than the IVP/ultrasound in the diagnosis of renal and
perirenal abscesses.
How
do you treat UTIs?
The
mainstay of treatment is antibiotics. However, a source should be
sought for recurrent, persistent or complicated UTIs and corrected
e.g., obstruction from urinary stones, congenital urinary tract
anomalies, indwelling catheters, diabetes, and spinal cord injury.
What
antibiotics do you use and how long do you treat UTIs?
The
treatment is dictated by the category of infection. For uncomplicated
lower tract infections such as cystitis, Trimethoprim —
sulfamethoxazole or trimethoprim alone for three days is usually
effective in young women. The fluoroquinolones are also highly
effective but more expensive. Uncomplicated upper tract infections
(pyelonephritis) usually respond to the above antibiotics and should
be treated for at least 14 days. Complicated pyelonephritis should be
treated for at least 21 days, guided by urine and blood cultures.
What
are recurrent UTIs and why is it important to distinguish between
recurrence and reinfections?
Recurrent
UTIs are usually new infections from bacteria outside the urinary
tract (reinfection). Recurrent infections due to the re-emergence of
bacteria from a site within the urinary tract (bacterial persistence)
are uncommon. The distinction between reinfection and bacterial
persistence is important in management because women with reinfection
usually do not have an underlying alterable urologic abnormality and
usually require long term medical management. Conversely, patients
with bacterial persistence can usually be cured of recurrent
infections by identification and surgical removal or correction of
the focus of infection.
Does
menopause cause increased UTIs?
Post-menopausal
women do have frequent reinfection usually due to increased residual
urine after voiding, which is often associated with bladder and
uterine prolapse. Also the lack of estrogen causes changes in the
vaginal micro flora including a loss of lactobacilli and increased
colonization by E. Coli. Estrogen replacement will frequently restore
the normal vaginal environment and allow recolonization. Estrogen
replacement in these cases has decreased the reinfection rate. Laparoscopic Surgery hospital Jaipur
Are
preventive antibiotics beneficial?
Yes.
Prophylactic therapy is effective in the management of women with
recurrent urinary tract infections, with recurrences decreased by 95%
when compared to controls. Prophylactic therapy requires only a small
dose of antibiotics daily for 6 to 12 months.
What
is urinary incontinence?
Urinary
incontinence is defined as the uncontrollable loss of urine. It is
the most common urologic disorder affecting both men and women in
United States. Women are affected more than men in 3: 1 ratio.
Different
types of incontinence
Urinary
incontinence can be divided into seven categories as follows:
Urge
incontinence
Stress
incontinence
Unaware
incontinence
Total
incontinence/ continuous leakage
Nocturnal
enuresis
Post
void dribble
Extra
urethral incontinence
What
are the causes and symptoms of the different types of incontinence?
Patients
with urge incontinence may wet themselves if they don’t get to the
bathroom immediately, get up frequently during the night to urinate,
go the bathroom every 1% – 2 hours, wet the bed at night and feel
they void out of proportion to what they consume. This is due to
bladder overactivity, hyperreflexia and instability.
Stress
incontinence is characterized by leak of urine with exertion such as
coughing, sneezing, laughing or physical activity. These patients
usually leak upon getting out of bed in the morning or when they get
up from a chair. This is usually due to urethral hypermobility,
intrinsic sphincter deficiency or stress hyperreflexia.
Overflow
incontinence is characterized by night time frequency, prolonged
voiding, weak and dribbling stream, voiding in small amounts with a
sensation of incomplete emptying, dribbling throughout the day and
feeling the urge to urinate but being unable to. This is usually due
to bladder outlet obstruction secondary to urethral scarring,
temporary swelling after childbirth or pelvic surgery. This result in
a full bladder with constant pressure on the bladder neck causing
urinary leakage.
Unaware
incontinence occurs from bladder overactivity, sphincter abnormality
or extra urethral incontinence such as in ectopic ureter or urinary
fistulae.
Continuous
leakage may be due to sphincter abnormality, abnormal bladder
contractility or extra urethral incontinence as mentioned above.
Nocturnal
enuresis is due to sphincter abnormality or bladder overactivity.
Post void dribble result in the collection of urine beyond the
external sphincter from unknown reasons, urethral diverticulum and
vaginal pooling.
Extra
urethral incontinence occurs when urine is expelled outside of the
urethra such as occur in vesico-uretero or urethro vaginal fistula
and ectopic ureter. The causes of these conditions are radiation
congenital, trauma and post-surgical or obstetric injuries.
What
should you do if you experience some of the above symptoms and
incontinent of urine?
Urinary
incontinence is often a source of great social embarrassment. It may
be the sign of significant underlying pathology and in most cases is
successfully treatable. You should seek consultation with urologist
experienced in managing urinary incontinency as soon as practical.
What’s
involved in the diagnostic evaluation of urinary incontinence?
As
with most medical problems, the evaluation begins with a good history
and physical exam with special attention to the voiding history which
may subsequently include creating a “Voiding diary” and “Pad
test”. Specific diagnostic tests may include the following:
Urine
culture
Urine
flow
Cystoscopy
Cystometrogram
(Urodynamic)
Cystogram
Possible
IVP
How
do you treat urinary incontinence?
Treatment
of urinary incontinence depends upon the type, cause and severity of
the problem. Most importantly the treatment of incontinence should be
predicated on a clear understanding of the underlying physiology and
pathology. In some cases exercising the pelvic floor muscles (Kegels,
biofeedback or electrical stimulation) or periurethral injection of
collagen may suffice in mild cases of stress incontinence. kidney stone removal in Jaipur
Based
on the result of your urologic evaluation, your urologist will
recommend the best management option for you. With today’s advanced
diagnostics and treatment options the choice of doing nothing,
wearing absorbent products or stuffing one’s undergarments with
tissue/towels is usually a poor choice and unnecessary ? Just say no
to incontinence!
It
is true that today’s surgery for urinary incontinence is simpler
than years ago and can be done as outpatient surgery with shorter
recovery time and less loss of work/personal time off.
With
today’s increased technology for diagnostic and understanding of
the female anatomy and physiology and improved surgical skills, most
surgery for urinary incontinence can be done through minimal
(keyhole) incisions, with the majority of the work done
transvaginally in a day surgery environment. As would be expected
with minimal incision, the healing time is quicker and the return to
normal activities is shortened.