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OLBH Is the Region's Most Comprehensive Facility for Treatment of Urological Conditions
The specialized urology physicians at Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital pool their resources and talents, making OLBH the region's most comprehensive facility for diagnosis, treatment and education concerning urological problems and conditions. The hospital's Same Day Surgery Center also offers an operating room devoted to urological diagnoses and treatments and includes one of the most modern lithotripters available today. It is used to break kidney and urinary tract stones into tiny fragments that can easily pass out of the body.
In addition to enhanced lithotripsy, a number of urological conditions can be treated at the center with cystoscopy, which is equipment that allows visualization of the bladder and urethera. A physician may recommend a cystoscopy to examine and treat any of the following conditions: incontinence, prostate enlargement, tumors or cancer, frequent urinary tract infections or blood in the urine.
Men's Urology Services
Prostate cancer is a disease that knows no boundaries. Men of all ages, races and ethnic groups can get prostate cancer. That is why OLBH takes proactive measures in the fight against the disease with a clinical study designed to assess the effectiveness of dietary supplements in preventing prostate cancer.
In fact, OLBH is the only local facility to be a part of an exclusive group chosen by the U.S. National Cancer Institute's Southwest Oncology Group to participate in a Selenium and vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial, called SELECT. When the research is complete, OLBH will have helped the country's medical community gather the clinical information necessary to know if these supplements can prevent prostate cancer.
SELECT study investigators, which include members of the hospital's medical staff, hope to recruit all participants during the first five years of the trial. Men may be able to participate in SELECT if they are age 55 or older - age 50 or older for African American men; have never had prostate cancer; have not had another cancer, except skin cancer, in the last five years and are in generally good health.
OLBH urologists offer a variety of treatment options for conditions affecting the prostate gland such as an enlarged prostate, and other areas of the male urological system including the kidneys and bladder. Not every treatment is appropriate for every man. Each treatment approach has its potential advantages and disadvantages and should be considered carefully along with other available methods of treatment before determining your final plan of care.
One option - prostate seeding, also referred to as brachytherapy, is less disruptive to the patient's life than traditional surgery or external radiation therapy. When performing the procedure, a form of internal radiation therapy, an OLBH urologist and a radiation oncologist place radioactive seeds directly into the prostate gland with the intent of destroying the cancer.
"Compared to alternative treatment options, the benefits of prostate seeding include a shorter hospital stay, dramatically reduced frequency of side effects such as impotence or incontinence, a shorter recovery period and reduced expenses," E. W. Unnikrishnan, M.D., OLBH urologist and chief of surgery, said. "Prostate seeding works best on previously untreated, early-stage tumors confined to the prostate."
OLBH is the only hospital in the Tri-State region offering another effective treatment for prostate cancer patients known as cryoablation, also referred to as cryosurgery or cryotherapy. Cryosurgery involves freezing the prostate with sub-zero temperatures to ensure that all visible cancer cells are destroyed.
"Compared to traditional treatment methods, cryoablation offers patients the benefits of a quicker recovery period," Timothy Dixon, M.D., OLBH urologist, said. "Additionally, unlike surgical removal of the prostate or radiation therapy, cryoablation can be repeated if any cancer cells return after the initial treatment."
Another type of cryosurgery is providing new hope for individuals diagnosed with kidney cancer. Laparoscopic renal cryoablation surgery uses extreme cold temperatures to destroy targeted cancerous tissue on the kidneys.
"Before this type of treatment was available, patients had few options," William Boykin, M.D., OLBH urologist, explained. "Laparoscopic renal cryoablation allows us to preserve the kidney, spare healthy kidney tissue, and at the same time, destroy the cancer."
Women's Urology Services
OLBH healthcare professionals also safeguard women's health aggressively. Not only does the hospital operate its Mobile Health Center, which is designed to provide women of all ages health services ranging from screenings for breast and cervical cancers to general health physicals, OLBH also is the only hospital in the Ashland area offering a revolutionary urology treatment for a condition affecting women in particular - loss of bladder control.
Loss of bladder control, a condition known as incontinence, is not just a medical problem. It affects an individual's emotional, psychological and social well being. However, with the help of OLBH urologists, incontinence often can be overcome with the Interstim Continence Control Therapy.
"Interstim therapy makes a dramatic difference in the lives of people who suffer from urinary urgency and frequency," Mark LaFave, M.D., OLBH urologist, stated. "By helping to manage symptoms that adversely affect quality of life, Interstim helps patients regain the ability to live and work without constantly being on the lookout for a restroom and without the fear of embarrassment from loss of bladder control."
Infections of the urinary tract also are commonly diagnosed among women. Urinary tract infections (UTI) typically develop first in the lower urinary tract (urethra and/or bladder) and, if not treated, progress to the upper urinary tract (ureters and/or kidneys). Bladder infection is by far the most common UTI.
"The urinary system is structured in a way that helps ward off infection," James Krick, D.O., OLBH urologist, explained. "The ureters and bladder normally prevent urine from backing up toward the kidneys, and the flow of urine from the bladder helps wash bacteria out of the body." Our body's immune system also works to prevent infection. Despite these defenses, though, UTIs still occur.
"Some people are more prone to getting a urinary tract infection than others," Dr. Krick said. "Any abnormality of the urinary tract that obstructs the flow of urine, a kidney stone, for example, sets the stage for an infection. People with diabetes also have a higher risk of a UTI because of changes in the immune system. Any disorder that suppresses the immune system raises the risk of a urinary infection."
According to Dr. Krick, women who are prone to infections can take precautions to avoid UTIs by drinking plenty of water every day, urinating when you feel the urge and taking showers instead of tub baths.
For more information about OLBH Urology Services or the Same Day Surgery Center, please call the CareLine at (606) 833-CARE (2273).
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