People seldom open up about urinary diseases and quietly suffer in pain even as they lack awareness about available treatments, said Dr Sanjay Kulkarni, president of the Urological Society of India. He was addressing a gathering at the valedictory ceremony of the live urethroplasty workshop organised by Urokul Urology Institute in Baner, Pune in collaboration with the International Society of Reconstructive Urology.
“Urinary diseases are not a topic of common talk, people don’t have enough knowledge about treatments available, hence they keep tolerating the pain,” he said. “For accident victims repairing the ruptured urethra, widening the contracted urinary tract, removing obstacles in it, repairing the urinary tract if it is passing closer to the kidney instead of the tip, repairing curvy penis and inducing erection with artificial instruments are various features brought by urethroplasty. Hence it is a boon for a healthy urinary tract,” said Dr Kulkarni who is also the chief of UroKul.
More than 500 national and international delegates witnessed the surgeries at Bantara Hall. Prof Tony Mundy from London, Prof Pippi Salle from Canada, Dr Pankaj Joshi and Dr Shreyas Badranwar performed various complicated surgeries live under the leadership of Dr Kulkarni.
Dr Kulkarni said, “In this workshop, a total of 15 surgeries were performed live that included connecting the ruptured urinary tract, removing obstacles from the urinary tract, removing impotency, and surgeries on the penises of two kids. A number of doubts and questions raised by the delegates were resolved during the live broadcast,” adding that “this workshop has the motive to create more urologist surgeons.”
Prof Mundy and Prof Salle said, “Traditional treatment includes cutting the strictures with an endoscopic knife as regular dilation. Patients born with hypospadias where the tip of the urine (tract) opens below the normal site will be offered the most modern treatment. Patients with erectile dysfunction will be treated with a three-piece penile prosthesis. These advancements and urethroplasty surgery have made patients’ life smoother,” according to a statement released.
Speaking about UroKul, laparoscopy expert Dr Jyotsna Kulkarni said, “It is only the third 100+ bed urology institute in India. The largest number of urethroplasties in the world are performed at this institute in Pune. It offers treatments at concessional rates and free for deserving patients. No patient is sent back for lack of finances. It is a place that offers comprehensive urology care under one roof 24×7. Dr Kulkarni has traveled to more than 50 countries teaching urethroplasty. These features have attracted many patients from all over India and the globe to this institute.”