To help us continue to improve our service, this web site uses cookies. They cannot be used to identify you. Using this site implies an agreement to continue accepting them. For more details please see managing the cookies we use.  

Patients & Visitors

Urology

D11

Glossary of Urological Terms

| A | B C D E F H I K L M N P R S T U V

ADENOCARCINOMA:
A cancerous tumour developing from the glandular component of any organ (particularly the prostate or kidney)

ADRENAL GLANDS:
Small glands sitting on top of the kidneys. They produce hormones. They are often removed along with the kidney in operations for cancer

ANALGESIC:
A drug used to relieve pain

ANGIOMYOLIPOMA:
A benign tumour of the kidney arising from blood vessels and fat. If it grows large enough it can bleed into or around the kidney

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY:
A drug which reduces inflammation and helps to relieve pain; often used to treat prostatitis & the pain of kidney stones

AZOOSPERMIA:
The complete absence of sperms in ejaculated semen; one cause of male-factor infertility. Usually due to failure of production of sperms by the testis or to obstruction of the tubing along which sperms normally pass

back to top

A | B | C D E F H I K L M N P R S T U V

BALANITIS:
Inflammation of the foreskin or the tip of the penis

BLADDER:
The midline, lower abdominal organ that stores urine and then contracts at the appropriate time to empty via the urethra

BONE SCAN:
A test requiring the intravenous administration of a mildly radioactive substance which is taken up by inflamed or cancerous areas within the skeleton. It is done to look for spread of cancer to the bones. It involves a very low dose of radiation (less than a CT scan)

BPH:
Benign prostatic hyperplasia; benign enlargement of the prostate gland, invariably seen with increasing age

BRACHYTHERAPY:
A type of radiotherapy where radioactive seeds are implanted directly into an organ, usually the prostate gland

BXO:
Balanitis xerotica obliterans; a scarring disease of the foreskin, of unknown cause, which results in a tight foreskin

back to top

A B | C | D E F H I K L M N P R S T U V

CALCIUM OXALATE:
The commonest constituent of kidney stones and the type of stone that is most prone to recur

CALCULUS:
A stone, usually in the kidney or ureter, but may also occur on the prostate or bladder

CALYX:
The outermost part of the collecting system of the kidney where urine is first released for excretion

CATHETER:
A rubberised or silicone tube passed into a hollow organ (usually the bladder) to drain its contents

CHEMOTHERAPY:
The use of drugs to treat cancer

CHORDEE:
A deformity of the penis that results in a bending on erection

CYSTITIS:
Inflammation of the internal lining of the bladder

CIRCUMCISION:
Surgical removal of the foreskin, usually performed for phimosis (see below)

CT:
Computerised tomography. A form of X-ray test in which a computer interprets the result to produce detailed cross sectional images of the body

CYSTECTOMY:
Surgical removal of the bladdder, usually for invasive cancer

CYSTOCELE:
Prolapse of the bladder into the vagina

CYSTOGRAM:
An X-ray of the bladder where dye is inserted into the bladder using a catheter

CYSTOSCOPY:
Inspection of the bladder using a telescope. This can be either a flexible cystoscopy performed under local anaesthetic or a rigid cystoscopy requiring a general anaesthetic

CYTOLOGY:
The study of individual cells, usually in the urine, to identify malignancy or other disorders

back to top

A B C | D | E F H I K L M N P R S T U V

DIVERTICULUM:
An abnormal pouch leading off the cavity of a hollow organ; most commonly seen in the bladder

DRE:
Digital rectal examination; usually to feel the prostate gland

DYSURIA:
Painful passage of urine

back to top

A B C D | E | F H I K L M N P R S T U V

EBRT:
External Beam Radiotherapy; the use of radiation to treat certain cancers including prostate and bladder cancer

EMBOLISATION:
Blocking the artery to an organ by introducing foam, coils or gel under X-ray control using a small catheter placed in the artery. This is done by a specialist radiologist (X-ray doctor)

ENURESIS:
Incontinence of urine at night usually considered synonymous with bedwetting

EPIDIDYMIS:
A structure lying behind the testis which carries sperms from the testis to the vas deferens during ejaculation. Cysts can develop in this structure which occasionally need removing

EPIDIDYMITIS:
Inflammation/infection of the epididymis, often involving the testis as well (epididymo-orchitits)

ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION:
Impotence; the inability to obtain or maintain an erection sufficient for penetration and the satisfaction of both sexual partners

ESWL:
Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy; shockwaves generated in water, focussed and fired through the body to fragment stones in the kidney or ureter

EXTRAVASATION:
Leakage of urine or surgical irrigation fluid outside the urinary tract

EXSTROPHY:
A congenital condition where the bladder remains on the surface of the lower abdomen open to the outside

back to top

A B C D E | F | H I K L M N P R S T U V

FLOW TEST:
Passing urine into a special machine that calculates the speed, volume and time taken for urination. Often done as part of your clinic visit

FREQUENCY:
The perception of passing urine too often

FREQUENCY VOLUME CHART:
A chart which the patient fills in over a 3 day period detailing their fluid intake and urine output including episodes of incontinence

back to top

A B C D E F | H | I K L M N P R S T U V

HAEMATOSPERMIA:
Blood in the semen during ejaculation

HAEMATURIA:
Blood in the urine requiring urgent investigation

HYDROCELE:
An abnormal collection of fluid in the naturally occurring sac which surrounds the testicle

HESITANCY:
Having to wait an abnormally long time for the flow of urine to start

back to top

A B C D E F H | I | K L M N P R S T U V

INCONTINENCE:
Involuntary leakage of urine

INTERMITTENT SELF-CATHERISATION (ISC):
Involves passing a very fine tube into the bladder 4 or 5 times a day to empty the urine. Most men find this much easier than having a catheter in permanently, and ISC is easy to learn and perform.

IVU:
Intravenous urogram; an X-ray of the kidneys, ureters and bladder performed using an injection of dye into a vein in the arm. This test is now very rarely performed as most patients will have a CT scan

back to top

A B C D E F H I | K | L M N P R S T U V

KIDNEY:
One of two paired organs (normally) which lie at the back of the abdomen, in front of the lower ribs, and filter the blood to produce urine

back to top

A B C D E F H I K | L | M N P R S T U V

LASER:
Light amplification by the stimulated emission of radiation; an energy source for performing some types of urological surgery

LAPAROSCOPE:
A telescope with a light source and camera attached which is inserted into the abdominal cavity (through a small incision) to perform 'keyhole' surgery

LITHOTRIPSY:
Breaking up a stone. Can be done by various methods

LITHOLAPAXY:
Crushing of a stone, usually in the bladder, to reduce it to fragments small enough to be passed spontaneously or removed through an endoscope

LYMPHADENECTOMY:
Surgical removal of lymph nodes to determine whether they are involved with cancer

back to top

A B C D E F H I K L | M | N P R S T U V

METASTASIS:
A secondary tumour (remote from the original cancer) which has arisen by spread through the blood, the lymph system or by direct invasion

MRI:
Magnetic resonance imaging; a means of producing cross-sectional images of the body to characterise tissues by the way the electrons in the tissue move in response to a strong magnetic field

MSU:
Midstream Urine; a sample collected during the middle of the passage of urine and used to look for the presence of infection

back to top

A B C D E F H I K L M | N | P R S T U V

NEPHROSTOMY:
A tube inserted into the kidney through the skin in order to drain the kidney. This is done with X-ray or ultrasound to guide the insertion

NOCTURIA:
Passage of urine at night

NOCTURNAL POLYURIA:
Passing abnormally large amounts of urine at night (defined as passing more than a third of the total urine output during the night)

back to top

A B C D E F H I K L M N | P | R S T U V

PHIMOSIS:
Tightness of the foreskin, either due to a scarring disease or as a result of a congenital abnormality

PARAPHIMOSIS:
Retraction of a tight foreskin which becomes "stuck" due to an inability to return it to its original position covering the head of the penis

PCNL:
Percutaneous nephrolithotomy; the removal of stones from the kidney via a tube placed through the side under general anaesthetic

PEYRONIE'S DISEASE:
A condition arising because of penile scar tissue and causing bending of the penis when erect

POLYURIA:
Over-production of urine, usually at night; often occurs in the elderly due to poor water handling ability with increasing age

PREPUCE:
Another term for the foreskin of the penis

PROSTATE GLAND:
A chestnut-sized organ lying at the bottom of the bladder which produces chemicals to nourish sperms and facilitate their transport to the female uterus

PROSTATITIS:
Infection or inflammation of the prostate gland

PROSTHESIS:
An artifical implant used to replace any part of the body (e.g. a testicle)

PSA:
Prostate-specific antigen; a chemical released into the bloodstream by the prostate gland which may be raised in men with prostate cancer

back to top

A B C D E F H I K L M N P | R | S T U V

RADIOLOGIST:
A doctor specialising in imaging techniques (e.g. X-ray, CT, MRI). Many carry out complex procedures requiring imaging techniques (interventional radiologist)

back to top

A B C D E F H I K L M N P R | S | T U V

SEMINAL VESICLE:
A sac lying behind the prostate gland which stores seminal fluid and sperms in preparation for ejaculation. They are removed along with the prostate in a radical prostatectomy

SPINAL ANAESTHETIC:
An alternative to general anaesthetic preferred in certain urological operations. A needle is used to inject anaesthetic into the back that numbs the legs and lower abdomen allowing surgery to be performed

back to top

A B C D E F H I K L M N P R S | T | U V

TESTOSTERONE:
The main male hormone produced mainly by the testicles (and by the adrenal glands)

TNM:
A staging system for cancer which describes the extent of the primary tumour (T), the lymph nodes (N) and metastases (M)

TRANSITIONAL CELL CARCINOMA:
A malignant (cancerous) tumour arising from the internal lining of the urinary tract

TUR:
Transurethral resection, usually of the prostate gland (TURP) or of a tumour in the bladder (TURBT)

back to top

A B C D E F H I K L M N P R S T | U | V

ULTRASOUND:
High-frequency sound waves used to reflect off tissues to determine their nature

URETER:
The thin, muscular tube which propels urine down from the kidneys to the bladder

URETEROSCOPY:
Inspection of the ureter (and/or kidney) using a telescope (either flexible or rigid) with an attached light source passed into the bladder and up the ureter towards the kidney

URETHRA:
The tube through which urine passes to the outside of the body from the bladder

URODYNAMICS:
An investigation to get detailed information about bladder function. It can be used to assess the appropriateness of performing surgery in men with voiding difficulties or in patients with incontinence

URGENCY:
A sudden, irresistible desire to pass urine

back to top

A B C D E F H I K L M N P R S T U | V |

VARICOCELE:
An abnormal collection of varicose veins above the testicle, usually on the left side

VAS DEFERENS:
The tube that links the testis with the urethra for the passage of sperm. It is this tube that is divided in a vasectomy

VOIDING:
Another term for passing urine

back to top