Urology & Urological Surgery

Kush Patel, MD, FACS

Our Approach

Our practice offers patients highly specialized urologic care using the most up-to-date methods and equipment including minimally invasive robotic, laparoscopic, endoscopic, percutaneous, microscopic and open surgical techniques. We treat a wide variety of urologic conditions affecting the Kidneys, Adrenal Glands, Ureters, Bladder, Prostate Gland, and Genital Organs.

Our Office

  • Board Certified Urologist

  • Robotic Assisted Surgery

  • Accepting New Patients

    To schedule an appointment please call – 704-871-9818 

General Services
Urinary Incontinence
Kidney Stones
Cancer
BPH

Meet Our Team

Our Location

STATESVILLE
702 Hartness Rd
Statesville, NC 28625
Directions
704-871-9818 Phone
704-495-3626 Fax

MOORESVILLE
359 Williamson
Mooresville, NC 28117
Directions
Phone: 704-871-9818

General Urology Services & Procedures

Dr. Patel offers no-scalpel vasectomy. This procedure can often be done in less than 25 minutes. Local anesthesia is used to numb the skin. An instrument is used to make two ¼ inch openings in the scrotal skin. The vas (left and right) are cut, tied and cauterized. Then dissolvable suture is used to close the openings.

A bladder scan is used to determine a patient’s post void residual (amount of urine left in bladder after a patient urinates). An ultrasound probe is placed over the lower abdomen. This takes only a few seconds.

This test produces images that are used to asses organs and structures within the pelvis. An ultrasound probe is placed over different regions the lower abdomen and mild pressure is applied. This test takes less than 5 minutes.

This procedure allows the urologist to determine if a male patient has prostate cancer and also to stage prostate cancer. During this procedure an ultrasound probe is placed into the patient’s rectum to help visualize correct biopsy location. Local anesthesia is then given to make the patient more comfortable. A spring-loaded needle quickly enters the prostate gland and removes a tissue sample. 12 samples are taken from different areas of the prostate gland. This procedure generally takes less than 5 minutes. Biopsy results are given to the patient in person about 2 weeks after biopsy.

This is a procedure that allows the urologist to examine the lining of your bladder and your urethra (tube that carries urine out of your body). A thin flexible tube with lens (cystoscope) is inserted into your urethra and advanced into your bladder. In male patients the urologist is also able to view the prostatic urethra (portion of the urethra that runs through the prostate gland). This procedure generally takes 4-5 minutes. Prior to this procedure local anesthetic is placed at the urethral opening to make the patient more comfortable.

Cystoscopy For Removal of Uteral Stent

This involves a cystoscopy (see description above) but while the urologist is examining the bladder he/she is then able to grasp the string at the end of the urethral stent and remove stent by pulling stent out through the urethral opening. Removal of the stent often takes less than 30 seconds.

Urinary Incontinence

If you’ve tried several treatments for bladder control problems without success, don’t lose hope. There is no single bladder control treatment that works for everyone, and sometimes it takes time to find the one that works for you.

 Medtronic Bladder Control Therapy (Sacral Neuromodulation), delivered by the InterStim® System, may be an option for you.

With the therapy’s two-step process, you can test it out to see if it will work for you before making a long-term commitment. The testing period is called an “evaluation” or a “trial assessment.”

Your doctor will discuss the evaluation procedure with you and the options for using either a temporary lead (a thin wire) or long-term lead for the evaluation.

How Will I Know If Medtronic Bladder Control Therapy Works for Me?
You and your doctor will decide together whether your evaluation was successful. The evaluation is considered a success if you experience a significant reduction in your symptoms.

For example, your evaluation may be considered a success if you went to the bathroom 20 times per day before the evaluation and went 10 or fewer times per day during the evaluation.

What Happens During the Evaluation?
The evaluation starts with a short, minimally invasive outpatient procedure that can be done in your doctor’s office or an outpatient center. It usually takes about 20 minutes.

For the basic evaluation, which uses a temporary lead, your doctor will numb a small area of your upper buttock and insert a thin wire near your sacral nerves, located near the tailbone. The advanced evaluation uses a long-term lead that is fully implanted; one end of the lead is inserted near your sacral nerves. With both types of evaluations, the lead is connected to a small, external neurostimulator that you’ll wear on your waistband like a pager. The stimulator generates mild electrical pulses that are carried to the sacral nerve by the lead.

The length of the evaluation may vary among doctors and depends on the type of evaluation you undergo. Generally, if the temporary lead is used, the evaluation period lasts from 3 to 7 days; if the long-term lead is used, the evaluation period may last up to 14 days.

During the evaluation, you still have the freedom to do most of your regular daily activities. The treatment can be stopped, started, and adjusted using a controller. It’s designed to be easy to use; your doctor or nurse can show you how.

Complications can occur during the evaluation, including movement of the wire, technical problems with the device, and some temporary pain. In most cases, these issues can be resolved, so talk to your doctor about your experience.(See Important Safety Information for possible adverse events.) Your doctor or nurse will provide you with information regarding how to operate the test device and also inform you of other precautions related to the evaluation and activity restrictions.

During the evaluation, you will need to use a symptom tracker to write down your urinary symptoms, such as how many times you go to the bathroom and whether you have leaks. You should be able to work and continue your normal activities, as long as you avoid lifting, bending or twisting movements. If you experience a significant reduction in your symptoms, you and your doctor can discuss long-term Medtronic Bladder and Control Therapy.

A neurostimulator implant gently stimulates the nerves that control the bladder and bowel, helping to restore normal function and improve symptoms.

Evaluation Step: To determine if a neurostimulator implant is suitable for you, you will undergo a brief trial period using a temporary system. This evaluation allows you to experience the potential symptom relief before committing to long-term therapy.

Long-term Therapy: If you and your doctor decide that a neurostimulator implant is appropriate, you will undergo an outpatient procedure to place the miniaturized neurostimulator implant just beneath the skin in the upper part of your buttock.

This procedure is used to treat overactive bladder. During this procedure a cystoscope is inserted into your bladder (see description of cystoscopy above). The urologist then injects Botox into specific sites of the bladder wall. This procedure takes about 5 minutes.

These tests assess the bladder and urethra in their ability to store and release urine. Urodynamics are often used to explain urinary incontinence, urinary frequency and urinary urgency. This test involves the placement of small flexible catheters in the bladder and rectum. The catheters assess for pressure, and the bladder catheter also allows for the filling of the bladder with saline. The bladder is slowly filled with saline as the catheters assess for changes in pressure. The patient is also checked for urinary leakage. All catheters are removed at the completion of the test. The results and treatment options are discussed with the patient after the procedure. This procedure often takes 20-30 minutes.

Kidney Stones

What are Kidney Stones?

Kidney stones are hard deposits of minerals and acid salts that form in concentrated urine. Passing them through the urinary tract can be painful, but they typically do not cause lasting damage. The most common symptom is intense pain, usually in the side of the abdomen, often accompanied by nausea.

Ureteroscopy is a minimally invasive procedure that uses a small telescope called a ureteroscope to diagnose and treat urinary tract problems, such as kidney stones. The ureteroscope is inserted through the urethra and bladder, up the ureter, to reach the stone. The stone can be removed whole using a basket device or fragmented with a laser, shock waves, or electrical energy. The broken pieces are then removed, and a ureteral stent may be placed to help the kidney drain urine. Ureteroscopy can treat stones in any location in the ureter or kidney, including those not visible on an x-ray.

Renal lithotripsy, also known as extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), is a non-invasive procedure that uses shock waves to break up kidney stones into smaller pieces that can pass through the body. Here’s how it works:

  • A machine called a lithotripter generates shock waves.
  • An X-ray is used to accurately target these shock waves onto the kidney stone.
  • The shock waves travel through the body, skin, and tissue, breaking the stone into small fragments.

This procedure can also be used to break up stones in the bladder or the ureter, the tube that carries urine from the kidneys to the bladder.

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure used to remove kidney stones that are too large to pass naturally or do not respond to other treatments. During PCNL, a small puncture is made through the skin and into the kidney or upper ureter to access and remove the stones. This procedure is typically recommended for large, hard, or complex kidney stones located near the pelvic area or that have not been successfully treated with methods like shock wave lithotripsy or ureteroscopy.

A ureteral stent, or ureteric stent, is a thin tube inserted into the ureter to prevent or treat obstruction of the urine flow from the kidney. 

Bladder/Kidney and Prostate Cancer

Dr. Kush Patel is trained in using the Da Vinci robotic system. The Da Vinci robot is a sophisticated surgical system used to perform minimally invasive surgeries. The surgeon operates the robot from the console, controlling the robotic arms equipped with surgical instruments. The system translates the surgeon’s hand movements into precise micro-movements of the instruments.

Robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy is a surgery that uses a computer-assisted mechanical device (robot) to remove the entire prostate, some surrounding tissue, and the seminal vesicles (glands that help produce semen). Nearby lymph nodes may also be removed.

During the procedure, several small incisions are made in the lower abdomen. The surgeon inserts a camera-equipped instrument through one of the openings and surgical instruments through the other openings using the robotic arms. The camera provides a clear, three-dimensional view of the prostate and surrounding structures. The surgeon then uses the robotic arms to precisely remove the prostate, while making an effort to protect the nerves that control penile erection and the bladder. This procedure is also known as robotic laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) is a minimally invasive procedure that precisely targets cancerous tissue using high-frequency sound waves. An ultrasound probe is inserted into the rectum, and the sound waves heat and ablate the targeted tissue, effectively killing the cancer cells while sparing surrounding healthy tissue

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), also known as hormone therapy, is a treatment for prostate cancer that reduces testosterone levels to slow the growth of cancer cells. While testosterone supports the health of a normal prostate, it can also promote the growth and spread of prostate cancer cells. ADT is often the first-line treatment for advanced prostate cancer and can be used in conjunction with radiation therapy or after a radical prostatectomy.

Brachytherapy, also known as internal radiation therapy, is a treatment that involves placing a radioactive source inside or near a tumor to destroy cancer cells. The source, which can be a seed, wire, disc, ribbon, or capsule, delivers a concentrated dose of radiation directly to the cancer cells, minimizing damage to nearby healthy tissue. The procedure is usually painless.

A partial nephrectomy is a significant surgical procedure designed to remove a portion of a kidney while preserving the remaining kidney tissue. This type of surgery is also referred to as kidney-sparing or nephron-sparing surgery, and it is typically undertaken to address tumors, injuries, or other medical conditions affecting the kidney.

A radical nephrectomy is a surgical procedure that involves the complete removal of a kidney, along with adjacent tissues such as the adrenal gland, lymph nodes, and a portion of the ureter.

An adrenalectomy is a surgical procedure aimed at removing either one or both adrenal glands. Typically, it is conducted to address large tumors, excessive hormone production, or concerns regarding potential malignancy. The specific approach to adrenalectomy varies based on individual circumstances.

Pyeloplasty is a surgical procedure performed to address a blockage at the ureteropelvic junction (UPJ), which is the pathway that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder. When the UPJ becomes obstructed, urine flow is hindered, potentially causing kidney pain, infections, kidney stones, and loss of kidney function. During pyeloplasty, the surgeon removes the blockage to restore normal urine flow towards the bladder.

Ureterolithotomy is a surgical procedure used to extract kidney stones lodged in the ureter. This operation can be conducted either laparoscopically or through an open surgical approach.

Treatments for Prostate Enlargement (BPH)

Understanding BPH

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, or BPH, is a condition in which the prostate enlarges as men get older. BPH is a very common condition that affects over 40 million Americans and over 500 million aging men worldwide. Over 40% of men in their 50s and over 70% of men in their 60s have BPH . While BPH is a benign condition and unrelated to prostate cancer, it can greatly affect a man’s quality of life.

As the prostate enlarges, it presses on and blocks the urethra, causing bothersome urinary symptoms such as:

  • Frequent need to urinate both day and night
  • Weak or slow urinary stream
  • A sense that you cannot completely empty your bladder
  • Difficulty or delay in starting urination
  • Urgent feeling of needing to urinate
  • A urinary stream that stops and starts

If you suffer from the above symptoms, you are not alone. BPH is the leading reason men visit a urologist.

You can measure the severity of your BPH symptoms by taking the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) questionnaire.

Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is a common surgical procedure used to address urinary issues caused by an enlarged prostate.

During the procedure, a resectoscope is inserted through the tip of the penis and passed through the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder. This instrument allows the surgeon to see and remove excess prostate tissue that is obstructing urine flow.

TURP is often considered an effective treatment for men with moderate to severe urinary problems that have not improved with medication.

There are also other non-surgical procedures available for treating an enlarged prostate. These alternatives can be as effective as TURP and generally result in fewer side effects and a quicker recovery time.

PVP (Photoselective Vaporization of the Prostate) uses a high-power laser to remove excess prostate tissue. This laser energy quickly vaporizes and precisely eliminates the enlarged tissue, making the procedure virtually bloodless.

What is the UroLift System?

Treatment with the UroLift® System uses a minimally invasive approach that provides rapid relief and recovery of BPH symptoms. It is an earlier treatment option can get men off BPH medications and avoid major surgery. The goal of the UroLift System treatment is to relieve symptoms so you can get back to your life and resume your daily activities.

The UroLift® System treatment has demonstrated a significant improvement in quality of life for patients compared to medications. The UroLift® System is the only BPH procedure shown not to cause new and lasting erectile or ejaculatory dysfunction*, while being a safe and effective treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms due to BPH.