Urologic Definitions

Benign: Of a mild type or character that does not threaten health or life. Having a good prognosis.

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH): BPH involves hyperplasia (an increase in the number of cells) rather than hypertrophy (a growth in the size of individual cells), but the two terms are often used interchangeably, even amongst urologists. It involves hyperplasia of prostatic stromal and epithelial cells, resulting in the formation of large, fairly discrete nodules in the periurethral region of the prostate.

When sufficiently large, the nodules compress the urethral canal to cause partial, or sometimes virtually complete, obstruction of the urethra, which interferes with the normal flow of urine. It leads to symptoms of urinary hesitancy, frequent urination, dysuria (painful urination), increased risk of urinary tract infections, and urinary retention. Although prostate specific antigen levels may be elevated in these patients because of increased organ volume and inflammation due to urinary tract infections, BPH does not lead to cancer or increase the risk of cancer.

Catheter: a tube that can be inserted into a body cavity, duct, or vessel. Catheters thereby allow drainage, administration of fluids or gases, or access by surgical instruments. The process of inserting a catheter is catheterization.

In most uses, a catheter is a thin, flexible tube ("soft" catheter), though in some uses, it is a larger, solid ("hard") catheter. A catheter left inside the body, either temporarily or permanently, may be referred to as an indwelling catheter.

Cysto: prefix meaning the Bladder.

Cystotomy: Incision into the bladder. Also referred to as vesicotomy.

Detrusor: A muscle that pushes down, such as the muscle that expels urine from the bladder.

Distal: Remote from the point of attachment or origin; as, the distal end of a bone, muscle or instrument.

Hematuria: Presence of blood or red blood cells in the urine.

Hyperplasia: An abnormal or unusual increase in the elements composing a part.

Inferior: Situated or located below and closer to the feet than another comparative object.

KUB: An acronym for kidney, ureter, bladder. Describes an X-Ray of this area.

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS): are storage, voiding and postmicturition symptoms affecting the lower urinary tract. LUTS can significantly reduce men's quality of life and may point to serious pathology of the urogenital tract. Symptoms are often nonspecific and large studies of patients have failed to show any correlation between LUTS and a specific diagnosis. LUTS are common and not necessarily a reason for suspecting Prostate Cancer. Patients tend to fall into 3 categories: Mild symptoms: mainly require reassurance and exclusion of cancer or risk of future complications.

• Troublesome symptoms, suitable for medical treatment.
• Those requiring surgical treatment.

Suprapubic Cystostomy: (Also known as a vesicostomy or epicystostomy) is a surgically-created connection between the urinary bladder and the skin which is used to drain urine from the bladder in individuals with obstruction of normal urinary flow or Post-Operative Urinary Retention (POUR).

Superior: Situated or located above and closer to the head than another comparative object.

T-SPeC: Transurethral Suprapubic endo-Cystostomy (T-SPeC®) is a surgical instrument, procedure and technique to place a suprapubic drainage tube in the bladder. This technology can accommodate most patients including obese patients and those with neurogenic bladder conditions.

Urethra: A tube that connects the urinary bladder to the genitals for the removal of fluids out of the body. In males, the urethra travels through the penis and carries semen as well as urine. In females, the urethra is shorter and emerges above the vaginal opening.

Urethral Sphincter: Refers to one of two muscles used to control the exit of urine in the urinary bladder through the urethra. The two muscles are the external urethral sphincter and the internal urethral sphincter. When either of these muscles contracts, the urethra is sealed shut.

Urethral Stricture: A narrowing of the urethra caused by injury or disease such as urinary tract infections or other forms of urethritis. Urethral strictures may cause problems with urination, including in certain cases the complete inability to urinate, which is a medical emergency. Additionally, a urinary tract infection is often present at, or prior to initial diagnosis.

Mitrofanoff appendicovesicostomy: also known as the Mitrofanoff procedure, is a surgical procedure in which the appendix is used to create a conduit between the skin surface and the urinary bladder.

Neurogenic Bladder: Refers to dysfunction of the urinary bladder due to disease of the central nervous system or peripheral nerves involved in the control of micturition (urination).

Obesity: An increase in body weight beyond the limitation of skeletal and physical requirements, as the result of excessive accumulation of body fat.

Morbid Obesity: The condition of weighing two or more times the ideal weight; so called because it is associated with many serious and life-threatening disorders.

Ostomy: An operation to create an artificial passage for bodily elimination.

Urostomy: An ostomy for the elimination of urine from the body.

Peritonitis: Inflammation of the peritoneum, often accompanied by pain and tenderness in the abdomen, vomiting, constipation, and moderate fever.

Prostate Gland: A firm partly muscular partly glandular body that is situated at the base of the mammalian male urethra and secretes an alkaline viscid fluid which is a major constituent of the ejaculatory fluid – Also called Prostate.

Rectus Sheath: Formed by the aponeuroses of the transversus abdominis and the external and internal oblique muscles. It contains the rectus abdominis and pyramidalis muscles. It can be divided into anterior and posterior laminae. The arrangement of the layers has important variations at different locations in the body.

Self-catheterization (CISC) or (CIC): Intermittent catheterization is the temporary placement of a catheter (tube) to remove urine from the body. This is usually done by placing the catheter through the urethra (the tube that leads from the bladder to the outside opening) to empty the bladder.

Supine: Lying on the back, face or front upward.

Urodynamics: The study of the hydrology and mechanics of urinary bladder filling, emptying, and voiding.

Urogenital Peritoneum: A portion of the posterior abdominal peritoneum that is found below the linea terminalis. It includes the broad ligament of uterus.

Urothelium: A form of transitional epithelial tissue layer that lines much of the urinary tract, including the renal pelvis, the ureters, the bladder, and parts of the urethra.

Urinary Bladder: A distensible membranous sac that serves for temporary retention of the urine and is situated in the pelvis in front of the rectum. The bladder receives urine from the two Ureters and discharges it at intervals into the Urethra through an orifice closed by a sphincter.

Viscera: The organs in the cavities of the body, especially those in the abdominal cavity.