Supporting Your Urinary Health
If problems with urination are impairing your life, the urology team at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens can help. We have all the tools needed to assess your urinary function and provide customized treatment so you can live more comfortably. Our doctors treat all types of voiding problems, including urinary incontinence (trouble holding your urine), overactive bladder, underactive bladder, and other urination problems. Right here, in Queens.
Diagnosing Urination Problems
Your care team runs several tests to check your urinary function and identify the cause of your symptoms. We use the results of these exams to make an accurate diagnosis and select the most appropriate treatment for you. You may have:
- Urodynamic studies to measure how well your bladder holds and empties urine
- Cystoscopy, a test in which a scope is used to examine the inside of your bladder and urethra
- Assessment of your nervous system using imaging tests such as CT and MRI scans
Treatment of Overactive Bladder
Do you feel the urge to urinate many times a day? Does the need to urinate wake you at night? If so, you may have an overactive bladder. Our urologists offer several treatments to calm overactive bladder and will match you with those best suited to your needs. You may have:
- Bladder retraining therapy teaches you to resist the urge to urinate and gradually expand the intervals between the times you go to the bathroom
- Medications to calm the contractions of bladder muscles
- Botulinum toxin (Botox) injections into the bladder to slow down overactive bladder muscles and decrease symptoms. This is done in the office and is typically covered by insurance.
- Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS), an office-based acupuncture treatment for overactive bladder
- Sacral nerve stimulation (SNS)—the implantation of a small pacemaker that sends impulses to the sacral nerve, which controls the bladder
Care for Neurogenic Bladder
In people with neurogenic bladder, the nerves that control the urinary system and signal when urine should be held in or released from the bladder do not work well. If you have a neurogenic bladder, your bladder can become overactive (causing an increased urge to urinate or leakage) or underactive (causing you to retain urine). To treat neurogenic bladder, the urologists at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens offer:
- Bladder retraining
- Medications
- The insertion of a catheter to drain urine
- Surgery for people in whom other therapies do not work
Urinary Incontinence Treatment
Our urology team also cares for women and men with urinary incontinence that is not caused by an overactive bladder or neurogenic bladder. Types of urinary incontinence include:
- Stress urinary incontinence: Leakage occurs during physical activity, such as coughing, sneezing, exercise, laughing, or other body movements that put pressure on the abdomen.
- Urge urinary incontinence: You may suddenly desire to urinate and cannot stop it.
- Mixed urinary incontinence: This is a mix of stress and urge incontinence.
- Overflow urinary incontinence: Urinary leakage happens when the bladder is not draining properly, causing urine to overflow.
- Functional urinary incontinence: An underlying medical condition may prevent you from making it to the bathroom in time to urinate.
Nonsurgical treatments for urinary incontinence
Your treatment may include bladder retraining, medication, and/or dietary changes (such as limiting caffeine) that help you gain more control over urination. If you are obese or significantly overweight, weight loss may be recommended to reduce the pressure on organs and tissues. Some people benefit from pelvic muscle rehabilitation, such as Kegel exercises, in combination with biofeedback (to improve control and awareness of your pelvic muscles) or pelvic floor electrical stimulation (to promote muscle contractions).
Surgery for urinary incontinence
If nonsurgical methods are not helpful for relieving your urinary incontinence, you may need surgery. Our surgical treatments for incontinence include:
- Implantation of a vaginal sling for women
- Insertion of a male sling for men
- Implantation of an artificial urinary sphincter
- Injection of a urethral bulking agent to support the bladder neck
- Sacral neuromodulation (InterStim) and botulinum toxin injection for urgency incontinence
Why Choose Us
If you have a problem with urination, it is important to have it checked out by a urologist to determine the cause. Whether your symptoms are due to pregnancy, menopause, or other medical conditions, we can take care of you. At NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, you can receive your diagnostic testing and treatment from an expert team of urologists well-versed in the care of people with voiding problems. Since we are part of NewYork-Presbyterian, one of the country's largest medical centers, you'll also have access to specialists from all areas available to provide comprehensive care. Give us a call today so you can start living a more comfortable life.