Patient Information
The Prostate
The prostate is a small gland, usually described as "walnut-sized," that, together with the seminal vesicles, produces the fluid part of semen. It is located just below the bladder and surrounds the urethra, the tube through which urine passes through the penis.
Contrary to popular belief, the prostate is not directly involved during the sexual act; it does not intervene in the libido’s mechanisms, or in those of the erection. The prostate is involved in ejaculation. It secretes the major part of the seminal liquid which is used as a means of transportation of sperm.
Prostate problems or symptoms tend to fall into three common categories: prostatitis, or inflammation of the gland; benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which results in an enlarged prostate that can narrow the urethra; and cancer.
The Kidney
The kidneys are paired bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist and weighing about 4 to 5 ounces. They are fixed to the upper back wall of the abdominal cavity. One kidney is just to the left and the other just to the right of the backbone. Both are protected by the lower ribcage.
The kidneys' main job is to filter the blood and rid the body of excess water, salt, and waste products. The filtered waste products are concentrated into urine. Although our kidneys are important, we actually need less than 1 complete kidney to do all of the important functions discussed above. Tens of thousands of people in the United States are living normal healthy lives with just 1 kidney.
The Bladder
The urinary bladder can be compared to a big flexible muscular balloon that stores urine produced by the body from its kidneys. To fill and store urine, the bladder expands. When it wants to empty, it contracts, thereby pushing urine out. At the base of the bladder, a tube called the urethra is attached and is the path though which urine comes out. The urethra is surrounded at the base by a muscle valve mechanism called a urinary sphincter that stays closed to keep urine in and opens to let urine out. To fill, store and keep urine in the bladder, a coordination of closing the sphincter and relaxing the detrusor muscle in the bladder wall occurs.
Pediatric Urology
Pediatric urology is the diagnosis and treatment of congenital (i.e., present at birth) and acquired urological conditions and diseases in children. Pediatric urologists treat conditions of the male reproductive tract and the male and female urinary tracts.
