Urological Surgical Procedures Designed for Children

Urologic surgery for a child is very different from surgery for adults. The pediatric urologists at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children are highly trained in caring for a child's reproductive system and urinary tract, as well as being sensitive to your child's physical and emotional needs. Whether your child was just born or is almost ready to leave for college, our team of pediatric urologists can perform surgery on kids of all ages.

At Orlando Health Arnold Palmer, you can feel confident your child is in good hands. Our pediatric urology program is consistently recognized among the top programs in the nation. Here, we use minimally invasive and robotic surgery techniques to enable your child to heal faster and get back to their regular life sooner.

Surgical Procedures We Perform

Our surgeons perform a wide range of procedures, including:

• Circumcision (male): A circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin from the penis.
• Hypospadias repair: Corrects a defect in the placement of the end of the urethra on a penis.
• Orchidopexy: The fastening of an undescended testicle inside the scrotum.
• Hydrocele surgery: Corrects the swelling from a backup of fluid around a testicle.
• Hernia repair: Corrects the bulging of internal organs or tissues through the muscle wall.
• Varicocele correction: A procedure done to correct varicose veins that occur in the scrotum.
• Ureteral repair:
• Pediatric pyeloplasty: Corrects a kidney obstruction in children.
• Ambiguous genitalia correction: A surgical correction for disorders of sexual differentiation.
• Bladder augmentation: A procedure performed to increase the size of the bladder.
• Exstrophy repair: Corrects a birth defect of the bladder that causes it to stick to the abdominal wall by closing the bladder.
• Partial, simple and total nephrectomy: Kidney removal.

Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery Expertise

Helping your child heal quickly is our top priority. With minimally invasive and robotic surgery procedures, which use smaller incisions, your child will experience less scarring, a faster recovery time, fewer infections and less pain.

Depending on the specific procedure and the location where your child receives care, minimally invasive procedures available may include:

• Laparoscopic techniques: The use of a scope and sometimes other instruments to diagnose, inspect and/or treat a problem
• Robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery: A procedure in which surgeons use a robot to assist in performing very precise movements through small openings or ports in the body

Robotic Urological Procedures We Perform

• Robotic ureteral reimplantation: Fixes an abnormally positioned ureteral (the tubes that connect the bladder to the kidneys) to stop urine from backing up into the kidney.
• Robotic pyeloplasty: Removes an obstruction in the ureteropelvic junction (where the kidney and ureter connect), allowing urine to drain easily from the kidney to the bladder.
• Robotic nephrectomy: Removes a kidney that is damaged, diseased or not functioning.
• Robotic partial nephrectomy: Removes a tumor or diseased tissue from a kidney, while leaving healthy tissue intact.
• Robotic appendicovesicostomy: Creates a tube from the bladder to the outside of the body. A catheter (thin tube) is inserted into the new opening, making it easier to empty their bladder.
• Robotic bladder augmentation: Enlarges a bladder that's too small to hold a normal amount of urine produced by the kidneys. The procedure reduces wetting and prevents damage to the kidneys due to urine backing up.
• Robotic antegrade continence enema: Helps empty the bowels of feces by creating a passageway between the large intestine and belly. A catheter is inserted into the path, allowing enema fluid to flow into the colon. The procedure is helpful for children with severe constipation or fecal incontinence.
• Robotic excision of the urachus: Removes the urachus (a path between the bladder and belly button that develops during pregnancy and usually goes away before birth). The procedure is for children who have urachus abnormalities that cause drainage, irritation or infection.

At Orlando Health Arnold Palmer, your family will also have access to special testing, including video fluoroscopic urodynamic testing (using low dose X-ray imaging) and noninvasive uroflowmetry (a special funnel connected to a measuring instrument) to assess urinary function.