The hydrogel spacer is injected during a minimally invasive procedure, and — once in place — patients typically can’t feel it. The hydrogel is safe and similar to other products used in brain surgery, cardiology and ophthalmology. It remains in place for 3 months during radiation treatment, and is then absorbed and leaves the body in the patient’s urine — leaving nothing behind.
Alaska Urology does not require a referral for new patients. Referrals are helpful to expediate your care. If you have a referral, please have your provider send our office a referral along with all medical records, notes, labs, and imaging. Once we have received this information it will take approximately three business days to properly triage your referral and assign an appropriate provider based on the level of care.
Kidney Cancer
When medications are no longer useful to relieve symptoms, surgery is the accepted treatment for a broad range of conditions that affect the male reproductive organs and the organs of the urinary tract. These conditions include, but are not limited to, adrenal tumors, kidney stones, urinary dysfunction, incontinence, prostate cancer, ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction, bladder and kidney cancer.
Kidney Stones
Prostate Cancer
Today’s features include a number of parameters that reveal much more than just prostate anatomy, revealing clearer visual definition of even small prostate cancer tumors or other abnormalities. For example...
Prostate ultrasound is done using a wand inserted into the rectum. Thus, it is called Transrectal Ultrasound, or TRUS. The wand transmits soundwaves through the rectal wall toward the prostate gland. The waves bounce off of different kinds of tissue, and register as black-and-white images on a computer monitor. Although abnormal prostate tissue may show up differently than normal tissue, the information about the true nature of the abnormality is limited.
MRI
An urologist must be specially trained to read prostate MRI and identify the area of interest (suspected tumor). The prostate outline is inputted into the computer to facilitate matching MRI and TRUS shapes. Special software is necessary that can recognize both types of images, assign “coordinates” to each type, and match (register) the images, coordinate by coordinate. This is called image registration or co-registration, and it overlays the live TRUS image onto the static MRI image. The result a synthetic 3D image of the patient’s gland that is quite accurate, but not perfect, due to small variables such as patient movement or inaccurate segmentation. The final 3D image can be manipulated on the computer screen so the urologist can view it from every angle, and the suspicious area is highlighted within the image.
Radiology
Prostate MRI Ultrasound Fusion imaging is done in the with a partnering radiology office to help identify the target area for the biopsy and guide needles into it.
Radiation Therapy
Because of the close proximity of the prostate to the rectum, prostate radiation therapy typically results in some radiation hitting the rectum, which can sometimes cause side effects, such as pain during bowel movements, rectal urgency, bleeding or loose stools during or after radiation treatment. That’s why the rectum is called the Organ At Risk (OAR) during prostate radiation therapy.
While clinical studies support the effectiveness of the daVinci® System when used in minimally invasive surgery, individual results may vary. Surgery with the daVinci® Surgical System may not be appropriate for every individual. Always ask your doctor about all treatment options, as well as their risks and benefits. For additional information on minimally invasive surgery with the daVinci® Surgical System visit www.davincisurgery.com
Robotic Surgery
Alaska Urology has the latest in diagnostic and treatment technology — from state-of-the-art instrumentation to robotic surgery. Our continuous investment in technologies supports the ability to deliver extraordinary Urologic care to all Alaskans.
Laparoscopy
Fortunately, less invasive surgical options are available to many patients facing urologic surgery. Minimally invasive surgery may require only a few incisions or none at all. This means patients have less pain, faster recovery, and fewer complications. A large number of urologic surgeries can now be performed in a minimally invasive fashion using endoscopes – small instruments with cameras or laparoscopes – small key-hole incisions in the skin. While laparoscopy can be very effective for many routine procedures, limitations of this technology prevent its use for more complex urologic surgeries.