For the convenience of our patients, we offer a wide range of in-office diagnostic procedures.  Examples include:

• Cystoscopy   Used to visualize the bladder, involving the insertion of a telescope-like instrument after placement of a local anesthetic
• Ultrasound   Used to produce an image of a specific area by using sound waves to transmit an image to the physician
• Urodynamic Evaluation   Used to evaluate a wide range of disorders, including urinary leakage, inability to void, and various other neurologic diseases affecting the bladder
• Biofeedback   Used to assist patients in gaining control of their natural body functions, such as bladder and bowel control
• X-ray   Used to visualize the urinary tract, including kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra, to assist in determining functional and/or anatomical abnormalities
• CT   State-of-the-art imaging system that often diagnoses abnormalities not visualized by standard x-rays.  Our CT department is accredited by the American College of Radiology.
• Vasectomy  Used as a low-cost means of birth control.  During a vasectomy, the two vas deferens are cut, which prevents sperm from traveling to the penis.

In addition to our convenient in-office treatment, there are certain procedures which can only be performed in a hospital.  Our physicians have full staff privileges at University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina (also known as Pitt County Memorial Hospital).  Hospital procedures include:

da Vinci Robotic Surgery

If your doctor recommends surgery to treat your prostate cancer, you may be a candidate for a new, less-invasive surgical procedure called da Vinci Prostatectomy (dVP) performed with the da Vinci Surgical System.  This state-of-the-art surgical approach represents the fastest growing treatment for prostate cancer today.

daVinci Prostatectomy incorporates a surgical system that helps your surgeon see vital anatomical structures more clearly and to perform a more precise surgical procedure.

For most patients, dVP offers substantially less pain and a much shorter recovery than traditional prostate surgery.  As a minimally invasive procedure, da Vinci Prostatectomy can offer numerous potential benefits over open prostatectomy.  For more information, please log on to da Vinci Robotic Surgery.

Lithotripsy

Lithotripsy is a method of breaking up a kidney stone while it is still in your body.  It is a non-invasive procedure that does not require incisions.  During lithotripsy, x-ray images carefully direct focused shock waves to the stone.  Once the shock waves reach the stone, they release their energy, causing the stone to crumble into sand-like particles.  These particles then can be passed through the urinary tract with the normal flow of urine.

Interstim Therapy

The Medtronic InterStim Therapy System for Urinary Control is indicated for the treatment of urinary retention and the symptoms of overactive bladder, including urinary urge incontinence and symptoms of urgency/frequency, in patients who have failed more conservative treatments.

The InterStim System consists of components that are implanted in your body, with hand-held devices that let you and your doctor control the internal system after it has been implanted.  The components that are implanted are:

• a neurostimulator (much like a pacemaker) that sends mild electrical impulses through the lead
• a lead, or thin wire, that carries the impulses to stimulate a selected sacral nerve in the lower back.  The lead is attached to an extension (another thin wire that connects the lead to the neurostimulator).