Glossary of urinary-tract procedure terms

These definitions use everyday language and follow the health bodies named beside each entry. Where a procedure has its own card in the atlas, the entry links to it. A definition here is general education, and a person’s own clinician explains what applies to them.

B

Basket, stone

A small wire basket passed through a scope to pull stone pieces out through the urethra after a laser has broken the stone up. Urology Care Foundation

Biopsy

The removal of cells or tissue for examination by a pathologist, who may study it under a microscope or run other tests. National Cancer Institute

Bladder

The hollow, muscular, balloon-shaped organ that expands as it fills with urine and can hold about 1.5 to 2 cups. Procedures on it are gathered under bladder and prostate procedures. NIDDK

Bladder irrigation

A flush of the bladder with sterile fluid, used after surgery on the urinary system to prevent or clear blood clots. It runs through a catheter with three ports, one of which carries the fluid in. Cleveland Clinic

BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia)

A condition in which the prostate gland grows larger than normal without cancer being the cause. Surgical options include transurethral resection and laser surgery such as HoLEP. NIDDK

C

Calculus

The scientific name for a kidney stone is renal calculus, so calculus is a clinical word for a stone. NIDDK

Catheter

A tube used to drain urine from the bladder. It can be indwelling, left in place for a short or long time, or intermittent, inserted when needed and then removed. See urinary catheters after surgery. NIDDK

Contrast

A dye, also called contrast dye, that makes parts of the body show up more clearly on an x-ray. MedlinePlus

Cystoscope

A long, thin optical instrument with an eyepiece at one end, a rigid or flexible tube in the middle, and a tiny lens and light at the other end. It is used to look inside the urethra and bladder. NIDDK

Cystoscopy

A procedure that uses a cystoscope to look inside the urethra and bladder. The card on cystoscopy covers it in outline. NIDDK

D

Dusting

A laser stone technique in which a high-powered holmium laser with high-frequency emissions turns a stone into fine powder that can be passed in the urine. See laser lithotripsy. Urology Care Foundation

E

Endoscope

A thin, tube-like instrument with a light and a lens for viewing, used to look at tissues inside the body. It may also carry a tool to remove tissue. National Cancer Institute

Endourology

A subspecialty of urology in which minimally invasive, scope-based techniques are used to inspect the urinary tract and perform surgery. UPMC Department of Urology

Enucleation

In HoLEP, the use of a laser to peel the inner prostate tissue away, working from the outside of the prostate inward and releasing the tissue into the bladder as large pieces that are then removed. See HoLEP. Johns Hopkins Medicine

F

Flexible and rigid scopes

Cystoscopes and ureteroscopes have a rigid or flexible tube in the middle. A ureteroscope is longer and thinner than a cystoscope so it can reach the ureters and kidneys. NIDDK

Fluoroscopy

A type of x-ray that shows organs, tissues or other internal structures moving in real time. MedlinePlus

Foley catheter

An indwelling urinary catheter held in the bladder by a water-filled balloon, so it does not fall out. NHS

G

General anesthesia

Anesthesia that affects the whole body. It feels like a deep sleep, and nothing is felt during the procedure. MedlinePlus

H

Hematuria

Blood in the urine. It is gross when the blood can be seen and microscopic when it can be found only under a microscope or with a urine test. NIDDK

HoLEP

Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate, a minimally invasive procedure that uses laser pulses to remove tissue from inside the prostate. The card on HoLEP has the outline. Johns Hopkins Medicine

Holmium laser

A laser whose fiber carries holmium energy to break up kidney stones. It is used through a ureteroscope once the stone is in view. See laser lithotripsy. Urology Care Foundation

Hydronephrosis

A condition in which something keeps urine from flowing from the kidney to the bladder, so one or both kidneys swell. Cleveland Clinic

I

Incontinence, urinary

Accidental loss or leaking of urine. Stress incontinence is leakage with coughing, sneezing or activity, and urgency incontinence, often called overactive bladder, is leakage after a strong urge to urinate. NIDDK

K

Kidney

One of two bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist, that filter blood to remove wastes and balance fluids, producing urine. NIDDK

Kidney stone

A hard, pebble-like piece of material that forms in one or both kidneys when high levels of certain minerals are in the urine. A larger stone can block the flow of urine. See stone procedures. NIDDK

L

Lithotripsy

Treatment that breaks a kidney stone into smaller pieces. The energy can come from shock waves, as in shock wave lithotripsy, or from a laser. NIDDK

Local anesthesia

Anesthesia that numbs a small area. The person is awake during it. MedlinePlus

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS)

Problems with peeing, such as frequent urges, leaking, difficulty starting or stopping the stream, and a feeling of not fully emptying the bladder. Cleveland Clinic

N

Nephroscope

A lighted tube with a camera on the end, inserted through a small cut in the skin of the back or side to examine the kidney and remove stones. See percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Cleveland Clinic

Nephrostomy tube

A small catheter placed directly into the kidney through the skin of the back to drain urine into a bag, used when urine cannot drain on its own. Cleveland Clinic

Neuromodulation

A treatment for overactive bladder and recurrent urinary retention that involves inserting a kind of bladder pacemaker, usually after an initial test phase. See sacral neuromodulation. Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

O

Overactive bladder

A group of symptoms that affect how and when a person pees, including an uncontrollable urge to pee, leaking urine and needing to pee often. Cleveland Clinic

P

PCNL (percutaneous nephrolithotomy)

Passing a special instrument through the skin into the kidney to remove kidney stones. See percutaneous nephrolithotomy. MedlinePlus

Pelvic floor

The muscles that support organs in the pelvis, including the bladder, bowel and internal reproductive organs, and help control peeing and pooping. See pelvic floor muscle training. Cleveland Clinic

Percutaneous

Through the skin. A percutaneous nephrostomy, for example, places a small tube through the skin into the kidney to drain urine. MedlinePlus

Prostate

The gland that sits below the bladder and surrounds the urethra at the neck of the bladder. NIDDK

R

Regional anesthesia

Anesthesia that numbs a larger area, such as an arm, a leg or everything below the waist. The person may be awake or given sedation. MedlinePlus

Renal pelvis

The basin in the central part of the kidney where urine collects. NIDDK

Resection

Surgery to remove tissue or part or all of an organ. National Cancer Institute

Resectoscope

The instrument used in TURP. It is passed through the urethra into the prostate area, where it helps the surgeon see and trim away prostate tissue that blocks urine flow. Mayo Clinic

Retrograde

Going back against the usual direction. In a retrograde pyelogram, dye flows back into the urinary system instead of outward as urine normally does. Cleveland Clinic

S

Sedation

Medicine that helps a person relax and be comfortable during a procedure. Sedatives and general anesthesia are often given for ureteroscopy and for cystoscopy with biopsy. NIDDK

Sepsis (urosepsis)

Sepsis is the body’s life-threatening response to an infection. Urosepsis is sepsis that begins in the urinary tract, most often from a urinary tract infection, and it is a medical emergency. Cleveland Clinic

Spinal anesthesia

A type of anesthesia that may be offered for TURP instead of general anesthesia, in which the person stays conscious. See TURP. Mayo Clinic

Stent, ureteral

A thin, flexible plastic tube that holds a ureter open so urine can pass from the kidney to the bladder. Most are temporary. See ureteral stent placement and removal. Cleveland Clinic

Stricture

An abnormal narrowing of the urethra. It may be widened (dilated) during cystoscopy by stretching it with a thin instrument. See urethrotomy and urethral dilation. MedlinePlus

Suprapubic catheter

A catheter inserted through a hole in the abdomen directly into the bladder rather than through the urethra. It is used when the urethra is damaged or blocked. NHS

SWL (shock wave lithotripsy)

A procedure that uses high-energy shock waves from outside the body to break up kidney stones so the pieces can pass out in the urine. See shock wave lithotripsy. Cleveland Clinic

T

Transurethral

Carried out by passing instruments through the urethra. TURP, for example, uses a resectoscope passed through the urethra into the prostate area. Mayo Clinic

TURBT

Transurethral resection of bladder tumor, a procedure in which a provider uses a cystoscope to find a bladder tumor and cut it out, diagnosing and treating bladder cancer at the same time. See TURBT. Cleveland Clinic

TURP

Transurethral resection of the prostate, a common surgery for urinary problems caused by an enlarged prostate. See TURP. Mayo Clinic

U

Ureter

One of two thin tubes of muscle that connect the kidneys to the bladder and carry urine to it. NIDDK

Ureteroscope

An instrument like a cystoscope but longer and thinner, so the urologist can see detailed images of the lining of the ureters and kidneys. NIDDK

Ureteroscopy

A procedure that uses a ureteroscope to look inside the ureters and kidneys. See ureteroscopy. NIDDK

Urethra

The tube at the bottom of the bladder that lets urine leave the body. NIDDK

Urinary retention

A condition in which a person cannot empty all the urine from the bladder. It can be acute, a sudden inability to urinate, or chronic, a gradual inability to empty the bladder. NIDDK

Urinary tract

The body’s drainage system for removing urine. It includes two kidneys, two ureters, a bladder and a urethra. NIDDK

Urinary tract infection (UTI)

An infection of the urinary tract. Bladder infections are the most common type and are most often caused by bacteria that enter the bladder and multiply. Left untreated, a bladder infection can develop into a kidney infection. NIDDK