Pediatric Urology
Comprehensive Evaluation and Treatment of Pediatric Urologic Conditions
The pediatric urologists at Loyola Medicine provide comprehensive evaluation and treatment for a full range of urologic conditions, including bladder and urinary tract infections, daytime accidents and recalcitrant bedwetting problems.
The pediatric urology specialists at Loyola can evaluate and treat your child for routine or complex problems of the urinary tract, including the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra.
Loyola’s board-certified pediatric urologists specialize in urologic conditions in children from newborns to teens. They are experienced in the most advanced treatment options and surgical techniques to treat a full range of congenital (present at birth) and acquired urologic problems, including:
- Bed wetting that doesn’t respond to treatment
- Bladder problems
- Blocked urine flow, including hydronephrosis
- Blood in urine
- Chronic constipation
- Daytime wetting
- Genital birth defects
- Hernia
- Hydrocele
- Hydronephrosis
- Hypospadia
- Incontinence
- Kidney disease or infection
- Kidney stones
- Neurogenic bladder (from spina bifida)
- Phimosis and paraphimosis
- Prune belly syndrome
- Renal failure
- Undescended testes
- Ureterocele
- Uretero-pelvic junction obstruction
- Urinary tract infections
- Vaginal problems or malformations
- Vesicoureteral reflux (backwards flow of urine)
- Voiding dysfunction
Your child’s urologist will create an individualized treatment plan to correct or manage your child’s urinary problem. We work as an integrated team, frequently partnering with pediatricians, other pediatric surgeons and subspecialists, including nephrology (kidney) specialists and gynecologists.
If your child is referred to us by his or her pediatrician or primary care physician, we will stay in close contact with your child’s doctor and provide frequent updates.
Members of Loyola’s urology team also have specialized experience in the medical issues facing children who are born intersex or have disorders of sexual development.
Why Choose Loyola for Pediatric Urology?
Loyola is committed to the compassionate diagnosis and care of our young patients with urologic problems such as bladder and kidney problems. Loyola’s pediatric urology team is specially trained in the treatment of children and provides care in a compassionate, family-friendly environment. We will carefully explain your child’s condition and every treatment option we recommend.
At Loyola, our commitment goes beyond treating the disease to care for the entire patient: body, mind and spirit.
We want you to feel comfortable asking any questions you may have about your child’s condition or treatment options. Your child’s healthcare team will address all of your concerns and make your child’s care our number one priority.
Our doctors work closely with other experienced Loyola specialists and pediatric subspecialists, including those in:
- Dermatology
- Gastroenterology
- Gynecology
- Nephrology
- Plastic and reconstructive surgery
- Sports medicine
- Surgery
At Loyola, we understand the importance of continuity of care and we will provide seamless communication with your child’s pediatrician through our secure medical information portal, LoyolaConnect. You can also access results from your child’s lab tests and evaluations through myLoyola.
How are Pediatric Urologic Conditions Diagnosed?
Children with urologic conditions may exhibit incontinence, pain while urinating or pain in the back, abdomen or groin. The goal of Loyola’s pediatric urology specialists is to provide a diagnosis and comprehensive treatment plan for your child as soon as possible.
In order to determine and understand the cause of your child’s symptoms, your child’s doctor will start with your child’s medical history and a complete physical exam. Be sure to tell the doctor when symptoms started and whether your child is experiencing ongoing pain.
Your child’s doctor may take blood and urine samples and also conduct testing, which may include:
- Abdominal CT scan (computed tomography)
- Cystoscopy (bladder scan)
- Kidney function tests
- KUB X-ray of the kidney, ureter and bladder
- Ultrasound of the kidney or bladder
- Urine cytology
- Urodynamics tests
How are Pediatric Urologic Conditions Treated?
Loyola offers a full range of treatment options for children with problems of the urinary tract, from medication and management through surgical solutions including:
- Catheterization
- Circumcision
- Electrical stimulation of bladder muscles
- Hydrocele correction
- Kidney and bladder surgery
- Kidney transplant
- Reconstructive surgery of the genitals and urinary tract
- Sacral nerve stimulation
- Umbilical hernia repair
- Undescended testicle repair
Your child’s healthcare team will explore conservative treatments first and foremost. If your child’s urologic condition is not well controlled with other treatments, surgical treatment may be the best medical option.
When a surgery is needed, your child’s pediatric urologist will recommend a minimally invasive procedure with a smaller incision whenever possible, reducing the length of your child’s hospital stay and his or her overall recovery time.
For Loyola’s pediatric patients who develop end-stage kidney failure, kidney dialysis will be recommended, which allows a machine to perform the function that your child’s kidney is unable to do. This procedure filters toxins and extra fluid from the blood.
Some conditions, however, are more challenging and may ultimately require a kidney transplant. Loyola’s widely recognized kidney transplant team is highly skilled and delivers excellent outcomes. Since 1971, Loyola’s kidney program has provided a full range of services for patients of all ages with kidney failure.