Urology

Urology is the specialist management of symptoms arising from and diseases of the urological system; that is the kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder, prostate and male genitalia and reproductive organs. Diseases of the female genitalia and reproductive organs are treated by gynaecologists, and some non-surgical diseases of the kidneys are not included within urology and are managed by nephrologists.

Urology was historically part of general surgery however over the last century, and in conjunction with the development of specialist instruments enabling minimally invasive urological procedures, urologiy has become a completely separate surgical speciality, with its own specialist training programmes and regulating organisation.

Urology is arguably one of the largest and varied surgical specialities. The speciality deals with a very wide range of conditions from mainly symptom based and functional disorders through to large and agressive life threatening tumours, and it utilises the full range of surgical techniques, from microsurgery to major open surgery including endoscopic, laparoscopic, robotic and percutaneous procedures.