Urinary and Genital Disorders (Children) Overview

Pediatric urology is a specialty devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of problems related to the urinary system and genitals in children.

Children cannot always say what is bothering them or answer medical questions, and are not always able to be cooperative during a medical examination. However, pediatric urologists know how to examine and treat children in a way that makes them relaxed and cooperative. Pediatric urologists often use equipment specially designed for children.

Symptoms

Some of the symptoms related to various conditions that pediatric urologist can diagnose and treat include:

Symptoms:	Possible Condition:
Nausea or vomiting	Urinary tract infection in Kidney Acidic body fluids Blockage in urinary tract
Stomach Pain	Internal Stomach or Intestinal Injuries
Bloated Stomach	Inability to completely urinate Enlarged kidneys Malformed kidneys Kidney cancer Cancer of nerve tissue Kidney swelling
Difficulty Urinating	Blocked urethral valves Narrowing of urethra Scar tissue around urethral stricture Swelling of urethra Bladder pain syndrome
Incontinence	Nerve damage to bladder Bladder pain syndrome Misplaced kidneys Widen urethra Bulging pockets in the bladder
Bed Wetting	Urinary tract disease
Blood in Urine	Kidney swelling Tumor Kidney failure Urine flow back into kidneys, also known as reflux Kidney stones Blood clot in kidney Bleeding disorders Diseased kidney filters or nephrons, also known as Glomerulopathies
Undescended Testes	Undescended Testicles Misplaced testes Retracted testes
Scrotal Swelling	Reduced blood supply to testes Hernia Fluid filled sac, also known as a hydrocele

Talk to your pediatrician

If your child shows any of the above symptoms, the typical next step is an initial consultation with you pediatrician who will determine if subspecialty referral is appropriate. The pediatrician should perform the initial evaluation and oftentimes, they can manage the issue. It is important to keep your pediatrician in the loop with specialists, and often the pediatrician can handle many of the medical management for some of the conditions that require referral to a specialist.

How do pediatric urologists treat these disorders?

Evaluation and management of disorders
Surgical reconstruction of the urinary tract (kidneys, ureters, and bladder)
Surgery for groin conditions in childhood and adolescence

Find a pediatric urologist:

Click here to find a pediatric urologist in your area.

Sources

What is a Pediatric Urologist? – Healthy Children.org
MedlinePlus.gov

For more information:

Go to the Urinary and Genital Disorders (Children) health topic.