Urology Services

Adult urology

UCLA Health leads the nation in urologic care. We offer the full spectrum of urology services, from prevention and screenings to diagnosis and treatment. Our urologists perform the latest nonsurgical and surgical treatments, including minimally invasive, robot-assisted surgery. We’re dedicated to addressing your individual needs and improving your urological health.

Cancer care

Through the UCLA Health Institute of Urologic Oncology (IUO), our specialists are at the forefront of innovative treatments for urologic cancer, including bladder cancer, kidney cancer, testicular cancer, and prostate cancer. Our experts coordinate your treatments with specialists in several fields to ensure that you receive seamless, comprehensive care.

Kidney care 

UCLA Health urology health specialists help people with all types of kidney disease. We offer highly successful treatments for kidney stones, including noninvasive procedures and nutritional guidance. Our experts deliver lifesaving kidney transplants for children and adults at the Connie Frank Kidney Transplant Center. We lead the nation in both volume and outcomes for kidney transplants.

Pediatric urology

Our experts know that a child’s urological needs are very different from an adult’s. At the Clark-Morrison Children's Urological Center at UCLA, we partner with parents and families to provide advanced, customized care for children with urological conditions.

We have extensive experience treating children with all types of conditions, including the most complex disorders. We’re committed to delivering compassionate care, effective treatments, and unwavering support.

Men’s urological health

Through the Men’s Clinic at UCLA, we prevent and treat a wide range of urological conditions that affect men. To improve the way men access care, our experts bring together specialists from many departments under one roof.

We deliver comprehensive care focused on men’s urology, reproductive health, and sexual function. We also offer screenings and identify men who are at a higher risk for certain cancers. Learn more about the Men’s Clinic at UCLA.

Women’s urological and pelvic health

At the Center for Women’s Pelvic Health at UCLA, our specially trained urologists collaborate with doctors who specialize in women’s pelvic floor disorders (urogynecologists) to deliver expert care in a compassionate environment.

We help women improve their pelvic health with therapy, minimally invasive treatments, and reconstructive surgery. The UCLA urology team also works with you to implement lifestyle changes that can improve pelvic health and your quality of life.

Urology conditions we treat

UCLA Health urologists specialize in all urological conditions, disorders, and diseases, including:

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH): In men, an enlarged prostate gland can cause bladder stones, kidney stones and problems urinating. The prostate is a small gland located above the urethra.

Bladder control problems (incontinence): Urine leakage may result from pregnancy and childbirth, age, menopause, enlarged prostate, pelvic floor dysfunction or interstitial cystitis, a chronic inflammatory bladder condition.

Congenital abnormalities: Defects that appear at birth can affect the genitals, reproductive organs, or urinary tract. We also offer treatment for boys who have undescended testicles and children with differences in sexual development.

Fertility issues and sexual health in men: These conditions include infertility, low sperm count, low testosterone, and erectile dysfunction (inability to get or maintain an erection).

Kidney stones: Kidney stones form when urine becomes too concentrated, causing deposits of minerals and salts to clump together in the kidneys. The hard clumps may become too big to pass through the body, causing severe pain. 

Pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD): This condition makes it difficult to control the muscles under your pelvis, near your anus. Many conditions, such as pregnancy and age, can affect how these muscles work. In women, PFD can lead to pelvic organ prolapse, which happens when the bladder or another organ falls through the vaginal opening.

Urological cancers: These include cancer of the bladder, kidneys, testicles, and prostate.

Urology treatments we offer

Over the past 50 years, UCLA Health urologists pioneered several treatments that have become the standard across the globe. As leaders in surgical and nonsurgical treatments, our experts deliver excellent outcomes. Treatments we offer at UCLA urology include:

Collaborative Kidney Stone Treatments 

Our UCLA Health urologists are experts in treating kidney stones, urinary obstruction, and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). We continually research and learn new techniques so that patients always receive leading-edge care.

If stones are small enough, our team offers medications and guidance to help you pass stones with as little discomfort as possible. We also work with you to prevent another kidney stone, offering practical dietary advice and lifestyle changes that can reduce your risk of developing another stone.

If a stone is too large to pass naturally, you may need a procedure. Noninvasive and surgical treatments we offer include:

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL): This procedure uses sound waves to crush the kidney stone into tiny pieces. The smaller stones can pass into the bladder and out of the body more easily.

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL): Your provider inserts a tube through a small incision (cut) in your lower back. Then they either break up the stone or remove it through the tube.

Pyelolithotomy: During this procedure, your provider removes kidney stones laparoscopically (by inserting a thin scope through a tiny incision) or with traditional (open) surgery.

Ureteroscopy (URS): This procedure uses a long, flexible instrument with a small camera on the end. Your provider passes the camera through your urethra (the tube that carries urine out of the body) and into your kidney. Then they use tiny instruments to break up or remove small stones. 

Minimally invasive robot-assisted surgery

UCLA Health urology experts specialize in techniques that involve fewer incisions, less discomfort, and less recovery time than traditional surgery. We were one of the first hospitals to use robot-assisted technology for reconstructive surgery to treat conditions such as:

• Kidney disease
• Pelvic organ prolapse
• Urological cancers (bladder, kidney, prostate, testicular)

This groundbreaking technology enables our surgeons to control instruments from a computer. Using these state-of-the-art techniques, we deliver treatments that are more precise and effective.

Incontinence treatments and pelvic floor rehabilitation

As leaders in their field, our skilled surgeons have vast experience with minimally invasive surgical techniques to treat urinary incontinence. We also offer medications, medical devices, and injections to relieve bladder control and urinary system problems in men and women.

At the Center for Women's Pelvic Health, you’ll receive compassionate care from our team of experts. They specialize in pelvic floor rehabilitation and other therapies for incontinence, chronic pelvic pain, and pregnancy-related pelvic pain. Treatments may include a combination of:

• Pelvic floor muscle exercises
• Electrical stimulation
• Biofeedback
• Lifestyle and behavioral changes
• Nutritional guidance