Conditions

Genitourinary Reconstruction

Bladder, Ureteral and complex Kidney Surgery

Pyeloplasty

A highly effective surgical procedure performed to remove a blockage and re-attach the ureter to the renal pelvis of the kidney in patients with ureteropelvic obstruction (UPJ).

Ureteroureterostomy / Nephrectomy

Surgical removal of all or part of the kidney, often to treat ectopic ureter, ureterocele, kidney cancer and other renal diseases.

Ureteral Reimplantation

Surgery to create or lengthen the tunnel through which the ureter enters the bladder. Common treatment for vesicoureteral reflux and ectopic ureter.

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Endoscopic Procedures

Cystoscopy/Cystourethroscopy

After the patient has urinated and been given an anesthetic, a thin, lighted tube called a cystoscope is inserted into the bladder through the urethra. Water or saline is passed through the cystoscope to fill the bladder, which the urologist can then examine to detect the presence of a tumor, blockage or other problem.

DEFLUX Injection

The FDA-approved polysaccharide gel is injected into the ureter at the bladder to resolve vesicoureteral reflux (backward flow of urine into the ureter and kidneys). DEFLUX is gradually absorbed by the body and replaced with natural tissues that continue to prevent urinary reflux.

Posterior Valve Ablation

A minimally invasive procedure under anesthesia in which posterior urethral valves—abnormal flaps in the urethra that cause urinary blockage or reversal in boys—are cut or removed.

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Pediatric Stone Surgery

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy

The most commonly performed treatment for kidney stone removal. Ultrasonic waves are focused on the stone, which breaks into tiny particles that can be passed painlessly in the urine.

Ureteroscopy (URS)

The stone is broken or removed using tiny instruments that are passed through a ureteroscope, a thin tube inserted in the urethra. A stent is placed temporarily to hold the ureter open for healing or until the stone has been passed. URS is often preferable to ESWL for stones in the mid- and lower ureter.

Holmium Laser Lithotripsy

Pulses of laser light are focused on the stone, which breaks into smaller fragments that can be passed painlessly through the urine.

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Ureteropelvic Junction Obstruction

Sometimes, a blockage prevents urine from leaving the kidneys and draining through the ureter into the bladder. The blockage typically occurs when a muscle in the ureteropelvic junction, located between the renal pelvis and the ureter, develops abnormally and causes a backflow of urine into the kidney. Symptoms include enlarged kidneys (hydronephrosis), pain, urine infection and kidney stones. The kidney can suffer damage if the obstruction is not cleared. A surgical procedure called pyeloplasty removes the blockage and reconnects the renal pelvis to the ureter. The child should be monitored for several years after pyeloplasty to ensure normal function of the kidney.

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Undescended Testicles

Normally, testicles move from the abdomen into the scrotum before birth, passing through the abdominal wall and groin along the way. In about 4% of newborn boys, one or both testicles are not present in the scrotum. This may be because the testicle was congenitally absent, withered after its blood supply was cut off, or did not completely descend. Undescended testicles should be brought down into the scrotum. This is done for several reasons. Testicles that remain in the body are kept at a higher temperature, which has been shown to impair sperm production and affect fertility. Treatment also provides a balanced appearance of the scrotum, lowers the risk of injury, and allows the patient to self-examine the testicle for cancer and other palpable growths later in life. Surgery is performed as early as possible, typically around one year of age. At this time, a withered or otherwise abnormal testicle is removed, a healthy testicle is relocated and sewn to the scrotal wall to prevent torsion, and any hernias are repaired.

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Dr. Houston also treats the following conditions...