MedStar Health: Urology at MedStar Washington Hospital Center

Our services

• Artificial Sphincter Insertion
• Aquablation procedure uses a targeted high velocity saline stream to ablate prostatic tissue using a robot without generation of thermal energy under real-time ultrasound guidance. The procedure is an alternative to TURP in patients with prostate volume between 30-100g. The procedure typically takes less than 45 minutes and patients require hospitalization. Long-term evidence of efficacy and retreatment rates are unknown.
• Bladder Botox is used for the management of urgency/frequency, overactive bladder, or neurogenic bladder
• Blue Light Cystoscopy is a cutting-edge technique for detecting cancerous tissues in the bladder.  
• BPH surgery
• Circumcision
• Cryoablation is a technique in which the urologist freezes the cancerous cells of the renal mass. This technique can preserve the remaining normal kidney and offers the advantages of very small incisions, minimal pain, reduced blood loss, and a shorter hospital stay.
• CyberKnife for Prostate Cancer
• Extra Corporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) is a treatment that breaks your kidney stones into particles ranging in size from dust to small pieces of gravel.  
• Fistula repair for an abnormal connection between the urethra or bladder and the vagina.
• HOLEP is a transurethral procedure which considered a modern gold standard for surgical management of BPH. The procedure is very durable as all of the transitional zone is removed and has the lowest reported reoperation rates. Most patients require overnight hospitalization and catheterization. The procedure can be performed in patients on anticoagulation and there is no upper limit on the prostate size.
• Interstim: MRI-compatible sacral neuromodulation (bladder pacemaker) is used for urgency/frequency, urgency urinary incontinence, overactive bladder, and fecal incontinence.
• Laparoscopic Nephrectomy is a minimally invasive option for patients who need kidney removal as a result of kidney cancer or a non-functioning kidney. Less pain, a faster discharge from the hospital, and smaller scars are among the advantages of this type of procedure.
• Laser TURP
• Medical Evaluation and Management of Kidney Stones
• MRI Enhanced Fusion Prostate Biopsies
• Neobladder Construction is an operation that is performed in patients who have their bladder removed because of bladder cancer.
• Penile Implant Surgery use prosthetic devices implanted inside the penis.
• Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy is recommended to treat kidney stones if the stone is too large or located in a place in the urinary tract that may not allow for effective ESWL results. Learn more about percutaneous nephrolithotomy.
• Peyronie’s Surgery may be necessary to treat or correct painful curvature of the penis, otherwise known as Peyronie's Disease.
• Prostate Biopsies
• Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection
• Rezūm treatment involves injection of water vapor (steam) therapy to create necrosis within the transitional zone, which eventually shrinks the prostate, thereby improving urinary symptoms. The procedure is done in the office under local anesthesia using a telescope. The risk of erectile and ejaculatory dysfunction is rare. The symptoms remained significantly improved over 60 months and the retreatment rate is very low.
• Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Pyeloplasty repairs congenital or acquired narrowing or scarring where the ureter attaches to the kidney. Any patient with UPJ can benefit from this procedure which offers smaller incisions, less postoperative pain and a quicker return to work and activities.  
• Robotic Cystectomy is the partial or total surgical removal the bladder. It is used to treat bladder cancer that has spread into the bladder wall or to treat cancer that has recurred following initial treatment. The surgery is done through an incision made in your lower belly and can sometimes be done using minimally invasive methods.
• Robotic Nephrectomy and Partial Nephrectomy are minimally invasive procedures that provide patients with a safe and effective way to remove small renal tumors while preserving surrounding kidney tissue.
• Robotic Prostatectomy is the surgical removal of the prostate to treat prostate cancer.  
• Robotic Sacrocolpopexy is a minimally-invasive technique to repair vaginal prolapse.
• Scrotal Surgery
• SpaceOAR^TM Hydrogel: This FDA-cleared spacer gently pushes the rectum away from the prostate during radiation. By temporarily creating space between the rectum and the prostate, the SpaceOAR Hydrogel is designed to help reduce radiation exposure to the rectum and minimize the risk of side effects. It's made of mostly water and polyethylene glycol (PEG), which is commonly used in other medical implants. The hydrogel spacer naturally dissolves approximately six months after placement.
• Testicular Cancer Surgery
• Transurethral Resection of Bladder Cancer
• Transvaginal Prolapse Repairs are procedures to repair vaginal prolapse performed solely through the vagina.
• Urinary Diversion replaces the bladder or helps the bladder hold urine by diverting the flow of urine through an opening in the abdominal wall. Urinary diversion is performed by our experts to treat patients whose bladders are non-functional or need to be removed due to cancer or traumatic injury.
• Urethral Bulking Agent Injection is a minimally-invasive treatment option for stress urinary incontinence performed in the office.
• Urethral diverticulectomy
• Urethroplasty is the surgical repair of an injury or defect within the walls of the urethra, often a urethral stricture. It may involve surgery to remove the involved segment and re-attach the two normal ends. When this type of repair is not possible, tissue can be grafted to augment to widen the affected urethral segment to a normal size.
• Ureteroscopy is a surgery for kidney stones that allows for treatment of stones in the kidney and the ureter.
• Urinary Diversion (ileal conduit, Indiana pouch, neobladder) is a procedure that replaces the bladder or helps the bladder hold urine by diverting the flow of urine through an opening in the abdominal wall. Urinary diversion is performed by our experts to treat patients whose bladders are non-functional or need to be removed due to cancer or traumatic injury.
• Urinary sling using the patient’s own tissue or a synthetic material for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence.
• Urodynamics Testing is a procedure that looks at how well the bladder, sphincter and urethra are storing and releasing urine. Learn more about urodynamics.
• UroLift® System is an FDA-approved, minimally invasive procedure that involves inserting implants in the prostate that lift and secure the prostate so it no longer blocks the urethra. There is no cutting or heating during this procedure so there is minimal post-procedure bleeding and pain. There are no sexual side effects and symptom relief extends up to five years following treatment. MedStar Georgetown was the first site in Washington, D.C., to offer the UroLift System. The procedure is appropriate for patients with a prostate size up to 100cc and can be performed on patients who are on blood thinners.
• Urologic Reconstruction can restore the urinary tract to a functional state after it has been injured. It is performed by our experts to treat a number of conditions.  
• Urologic Transplant Surgery may be necessary when the kidneys or another part of the urogenital system are no longer functioning.