General Urology

UTMB Health has set the standard for excellence in urologic care

UTMB Health Urologists manage surgical and non-surgical treatments for diseases of the urinary tract (kidneys and adjacent adrenal glands, bladder, urethra, male prostate, and male testicles).

Your Care Team

Alzweri, Laith, MD

Laith Alzweri, MD

Urology - Men's Health

Urology

Urology

Urology - Neurourology and Voiding Dysfunction

Urology

Urology | Urology - Oncology

Sonstein, Joseph, MD

Joseph Sonstein, MD

Urology | Urology - Oncology

Sreshta, J. Nicholas, MD

J. Nicholas Sreshta, MD

Urology | Urology - Oncology

Conditions We Treat

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Conditions We Treat

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Kidney Stones
Overview:
Kidney stones are hard deposits of minerals and acid salts that stick together in concentrated urine. They can be painful when passing through the urinary tract, but usually don't cause permanent damage.
Symptoms may include:
- pain in the back, belly or side of your body
- pain or burning when you urinate
- blood in the urine and an urgent need to urinate
- can also be accompanied with nausea or vomiting.
Treatment/procedure options:
Increased fluid intake, medications or a urologist may need to remove or break up larger stones by non-invasive techniques or surgical procedures.
Bladder Control Problems or Urinary Incontinence

Overview:
Urinary Incontinence (UI) is the loss of bladder control, or being unable to control urination. UI can affect men, women, and children, but women are twice as likely as men to experience UI. This is due to the structure of the female urinary tract as well as the effects of pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause. UI is also more common among older women, although it is not a normal part of the aging process.
Genitourinary Reconstruction

Overview:
Diagnosis and treatment of lower urinary tract disorders as well as genitourinary prosthetic surgery.
Bladder Infection (UTI)
Overview:
Bladder infections are the most common type of urinary tract infection (UTI), but any part of your urinary tract can become infected—the urethra, bladder, ureters, and kidneys. Your age, habits, or health conditions can make a UTI more likely.
Symptoms may include:
- burning feeling when you urinate
- frequent or intense urges to urinate, even when you have little urine to pass
Treatment/procedure options:
Treatments for bladder infections and other UTIs may include antibiotics and drinking lots of liquids to help flush bacteria from your urinary tract. Changes in habits, hygiene, or birth control method may help prevent another infection.
Cystocele (Prolapsed Bladder)
Overview:
A cystocele is a condition in which supportive tissues around the bladder and vaginal wall weaken and stretch, allowing the bladder and vaginal wall to fall into the vaginal canal.
Symptoms may include:
- a vaginal bulge or the feeling that something is falling out of the vagina
- pressure in the vagina or pelvis
- urine leakage, called urinary incontinence
- difficulty starting the flow of urine, called hesitancy
- a slow urine stream
- feeling the need to urinate after finishing urination
- frequent or urgent urination
Hematuria (Blood in the Urine)
Overview:
Hematuria is the presence of blood in a person’s urine. The two types of hematuria are
- gross hematuria—when a person can see the blood in his or her urine
- microscopic hematuria—when a person cannot see the blood in his or her urine, yet it is seen under a microscope
Symptoms may include:
People with gross hematuria have urine that is pink, red, or brown. Even a small amount of blood in the urine can cause urine to change color. In most cases, people with gross hematuria do not have other signs and symptoms. People with gross hematuria that includes blood clots in the urine may have bladder pain or pain in the back.
Interstitial Cystitis (Painful Bladder Syndrome)
Overview:
Interstitial cystitis (IC) is a chronic, or long-lasting, condition that causes painful urinary symptoms. Researchers don’t know the exact cause of IC.
Symptoms may include:
- Discomfort, pressure, tenderness, or pain in the bladder, lower abdomen, and pelvic area
- Symptoms vary from person to person, may come and go, and can change in each person as time goes on.
Kidney Infection
Overview:
Kidney infection is a type of urinary tract infection (UTI) that commonly begins in your bladder and moves upstream to one or both of your kidneys. In rare cases, kidney infections can lead to serious health problems, but quick treatment prevents most complications.
Symptoms may include:
- chills
- fever
- painful urination
Treatment/procedure options:
Doctors may treat your kidney infection by prescribing antibiotics. Make sure to take all of your medicine, even if you start to feel better.
Medical Tests for Prostate Problems

Overview:
The most common prostate problem in men younger than age 50 is inflammation, called prostatitis. Prostate enlargement, or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), is another common problem. Because the prostate continues to grow as a man ages, BPH is the most common prostate problem for men older than age 50. Older men are at risk for prostate cancer as well, but it is much less common than BPH.
Urinary Diversion

Overview:
Urinary diversion is a surgical procedure that creates a new way for urine to exit your body when urine flow is blocked or when there is a need to bypass a diseased area in the urinary tract.
Urinary Retention

Overview:
Urinary retention is a condition in which you are unable to empty all the urine from your bladder. Urinary retention is not a disease, but a condition that may be related to other health problems, such as prostate problems in men or a cystocele in women. Urinary retention can be acute—a sudden inability to urinate at all, or chronic—a gradual inability to empty the bladder.
Vesicoureteral Reflux

Overview:
Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is a condition in which urine flows backward from the bladder to one or both ureters and sometimes to the kidneys. VUR is most common in infants and young children. Most children don’t have long-term problems from VUR.