Targeted Care for Children and Adolescents with Urinary Problems

Jonathan Ross, MD,
Chief, Center for Pediatric Urology and Division of Pediatric Urology, UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital

Kids with disorders ranging from simple urinary infections to complex birth defects that affect the urinary tract can now get the specialized care they need at University Hospitals Urology Institute’s new Pediatric Urology Center at Rainbow.

“Children with urological conditions have very different needs than do adult patients,” says Jonathan Ross, MD, Chief of the Pediatric Urology Center and the Division of Pediatric Urology at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. “Kids may have urological disorders that don’t affect adults. They often require diagnostic and treatment approaches tailored for pediatric patients.”

Pediatric urologists work closely with other pediatric specialties — including neurology, oncology, nephrology, anesthesiology, general surgery, radiology and developmental/behavioral pediatrics and psychology — to provide children with the best, most comfortable care available. Staff members also are researching new treatments for pediatric urological disorders.

Comprehensive Services

Specialists at the Pediatric Urology Center treat a full range of congenital and acquired conditions affecting the urinary tract, genitalia and bladder, including:

• Blockages or defects in the urinary tract
• Urinary incontinence
• Abnormal development of the penis and/or testicles
• Fluid buildup in the scrotum and hernias
• Abnormal protrusion or bulging (hernia) of an organ or tissue wall
• Voiding dysfunctions that occur when the bladder does not empty normally n Tumors in the kidney, bladder and testicles

Diagnosis and Treatment

Doctors avoid using painful, invasive procedures whenever possible. They rely on ultrasound and other kid-friendly diagnostic tests and may use the pediatric sedation team services when children are frightened.

The Center’s multidisciplinary team develops individualized treatment plans for patients based on their diagnoses. Some patients do not need immediate treatment. Doctors may monitor them to see if their conditions progress. Others need medications to treat infections or improve bladder function.

Pediatric urologists at the Center offer the most effective surgical management options available, including laparoscopic and robotic surgery to repair or reconstruct congenital abnormalities, remove obstructions or improve urinary function. These minimally invasive techniques are offered to minimize blood loss, pain and scarring, and provide enhanced recovery times to get kids back to school and other regular routines.

“We’re able to treat many conditions effectively so kids can lead normal lives,” Dr. Ross says. “We also provide the long-term monitoring and adjustment of therapies that some patients with complex disorders need throughout their lives.”