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Asiri Surgical Hospitals, one of the leading private healthcare providers in Sri Lanka, has a portfolio of skilled and experienced medical experts with the most cutting-edge medical equipment and technology in the industry. It also houses one of the best urology centres, which is equipped with all facilities to investigate and treat any urinary ailment and is also fortunate to have the services of the majority of the country’s leading urological surgeons.
Urological diseases come in a variety of forms - all related to the filtration and transport of urine out of the body - which can affect men, women and children of all ages. The most common diseases are urinary stones and diseases connected with the enlargement of the prostrate in men.
Problems with one’s urinary system may range from mild infections to major life-threatening diseases. This is because the urinary system, which comprises the kidneys, ureters and bladder with the urinary passage, are responsible for vital functions such as removing waste products from your body and controlling blood pressure and volume. Urologists identify several such conditions at a fairly early stage, especially because it has now been well-established that stone development in the urinary system is connected with common non-communicable diseases such as high cholesterol and diabetes.
Dr. Anura Wijewardane, Senior Urologist at Asiri Surgical Hospital and veteran specialising in urological diseases, stated that it was vital to identify stones in the urinary system early and decide whether interventional therapy (breaking, operating and lasering stones) was necessary.
He also stated that a significant group of stones could also be treated by medical therapy and said that it was important to create awareness among patients about the common clinical symptoms of stone diseases.
Dr. Wijewardane further added: “Stone formations in the urinary bladder among men are associated with the enlargement of the prostate gland. We see this in males in their mid-40s and it continues to occur in later ages. The majority of them are non-cancerous (age-related enlargement) and about 18%-20% of the enlargements could be cancer in the prostrate. Although it is small in percentage, it is the leading fatal cancer among males in western society. Doctors advise men over 40 years of age who have such symptoms to get immediate medical attention in order to prevent any further complications.
“At an early stage, prostate cancer symptoms can be identical to non-cancerous prostate symptoms therefore patients should be aware that symptoms for both these occurrences are quite similar. While they might first consult their family doctor, it is also advised that they should make arrangements to see a specialist as well.”
Asiri Surgical Hospitals is fully equipped with all the necessary laboratory investigations (urinary and blood) and all the high standard imaging facilities (x-ray, ultra sound and CT and MRI scan) as well as other special facilities to investigate urological patients, which includes the Uroflowmetry and Urodynamic study, which is one of the essential investigations for treating a patient with urinary incontinency and uncertain lower urinary tract symptoms.
The hospital is also equipped with all the technological facilities such as Minimally Invasive Endoscopy treatment of urinary stones such as Percutaneous Nephro Lithotomy (PCNL), Ureteroscopy with Laser Lithotripsy, non-invasive extra corporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) and the latest minimally invasive facilities in treating benign prostate diseases.