The Pediatric Urology program at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital offers evaluation, diagnosis and treatment for infants, children and adolescents with abnormalities involving the kidneys, ureters, bladder, urethra and the reproductive organs of children. From routine, simple procedures to rare and complex conditions, we offer innovative, evidence-based treatment and a unique level of support and resources for children and families who travel from all over the U.S. to experience “The Michigan Difference” at University of Michigan.
Our focus is on translating scientific discoveries into medical realities, through the expertise of skilled clinicians working in conjunction with leading scientists and medical researchers. Together, we share a common purpose: curing urologic diseases in children.
Advanced diagnosis and treatment
Our team offers a great depth and breadth of training and experience. In addition we also have a wide range of tests to help diagnose urologic conditions and tailor each child’s treatment plan, including renal/bladder ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, voiding cystourethrogram, nuclear medicine renal scans and urodynamic testing.
The pediatric urology team treats the full range of disorders of the genital and urinary organs, including:
- Ambiguous genitalia and disorders of sex development
- Antenatal or prenatal hydronephrosis (dilation of the kidneys with urine)
- Bed wetting and day time wetting (enuresis and incontinence)
- Bladder exstrophy (part of bladder outside the body)
- Buried penis
- Circumcision and foreskin concerns, phimosis and paraphimosis
- Cloaca (passage for feces, urine and reproduction) and cloacal exstrophy
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
- Epispadias (high abnormal urethral opening)
- Genitourinary trauma (reproductive organs and urinary system)
- Genitourinary tumors, including testicle and kidney tumors
- Horseshoe kidney (kidneys fuse, forming a U shape)
- Hydrocele
- Hydronephrosis
- Hypospadias (low abnormal opening location in the penis)
- Inguinal hernia
- Kidney, ureter and bladder (urinary tract) stones
- Neuropathic or neurogenic bladder (impaired bladder function due to damage of nerves)
- Pelvic kidneys and ectopic kidneys (kidneys in abnormal locations)
- Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and other kidney abnormalities
- Posterior urethral valves
- Prune belly syndrome
- Solitary kidney, testicle or ovary
- Trapped penis
- Undescended testicles
- Ureteral duplication (two ureters for one kidney)
- Ureterocele (swelling in tube that carries urine)
- Ureteropelvic junction obstruction (urine flow obstruction)
- Urethral strictures
- Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
- Urologic care for patients with spina bifida and myelomeningocele (backbone and spinal canal do not close before birth)
- Urologic care for patients with spinal cord trauma
- Vesicoureteral reflux (urine flows backward into kidneys)
- Voiding dysfunction
- Webbed penis
In addition, our faculty collaborate with the Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment Center to diagnosis many congenital urologic conditions even before a child is born, allowing for specialized prenatal care, fetal intervention when appropriate, birth planning, and subsequent postnatal treatment. For example, we commonly consult and treat newborn babies who were diagnosed as fetuses as having antenatal hydronephrosis (swollen kidney).
We offer a full range of treatments and therapies, with each child’s treatment plan customized to his or her own unique needs. Treatments may include medical management, behavioral modification and surgery. When surgery is required, we offer special expertise in minimally invasive techniques and robotic-assisted surgery in order to provide the best results with minimum scarring, pain, and recovery time. Learn more about the benefits of minimally invasive surgery.
Pediatric urology team
Our pediatric urologists are board-certified urologists who have completed additional training in the evaluation and treatment of urological problems in children. Each member of our team works exclusively with children. They have developed special skills in working with the physiology of children and the conditions related to their genitourinary functions.
Our team also includes nurse practitioners and a veteran team of nurses who specialize in pediatric urology particularly in the care of patients with voiding and bowel dysfunction (e.g. bedwetting, day and night incontinence).
When your child needs to see several specialists, we will work with you to coordinate your child’s care and schedule those appointments on the same day, whenever possible. Depending on the disorder a patient's multidisciplinary care team may also include specialists in pediatric nephrology, oncology, radiology, endocrinology, psychology, genetics, nutrition and physical therapy.
Better care comes from better understanding
Our faculty’s activity in pediatric urology research gives the team a unique level of understanding of the many factors that cause and affect urologic conditions. This expertise also us to create individualized treatment plans including a combination of medications, behavioral therapy, or surgery.
Many urologic conditions are affected by the way the body stores and releases urine. C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital offers special expertise in urodynamics and neurourology, the diagnostic tests and therapies that help us understand and modify how well your child's bladder fills and empties.
Compassionate support and care
Each member of our team understands that problems with the genitourinary tract can be embarrassing or uncomfortable for children, and stressful for parents.
We offer educational, social and psychological support to support your family. Our staff members are always careful to respect your child’s privacy and feelings throughout testing and treatment.
Our child life team helps kids and families adjust to their diagnosis, cope with anxiety, and focuses on helping kids be kids during their treatment.
Our social work team offers access to special counseling programs for families to learn, receive emotional support and meet others who have shared similar experiences. We also offer access to a child psychologist with special expertise helping children and families adjust and cope with their diagnosis and treatment.
Make an Appointment
We invite you to experience the kind of care in which patients and their families are the number one priority, where the best people and groundbreaking research converge in a rich, collaborative environment producing the best care for your child.
Schedule an appointment by calling us at 734-936-7030.