What is enuresis? Enuresis is the occurrence of urinary “accidents” after the age that urinary control should have been achieved. It is also called “nocturnal enuresis” or bedwetting if it occurs at night. Nocturnal enuresis tends to run in families and occurs more in boys than in girls.

What is a hyposadius? Hypospadias occurs when the opening of the penis is located underneath the penis rather than at the tip. Surgery may be recommended to repair this minor problem.

What is an epididymis? The epididymis is a structure within the scrotum attached to the backside of the testicles. It is a coiled segment of the spermatic ducts that serves to store, mature and transport sperm between the testis and the vas deferens (transport tubules).

What is epididymitis? This is an inflammation of the spermatic cords on the top of testes.

What is a chordee? Chordee is a congenital curvature of the penis. It is often associated with hypospadius.

What is a circumcision? This is the removal of the foreskin covering the end of the penis.

What is a hernia? The most common type of hernia is an “inguinal” hernia, which is a hole in a muscle wall in the groin area. This may allow a loop of the bowel to slip through. Inguinal hernias are concerning because if the loop of bowel is pinched or twisted due to the hernias, it can be a medical emergency.
Hernias can also be found in other parts of the body, including the umbilicus or “belly button.”

What is a hydrocele? A hydrocele is a collection of fluid around one or both testes. This can be an indication of a future hernia. Many resolve on their own. They are very common at the time of delivery.

What is a varicocele? This is a swelling of the blood vessels on the top of the testes. This can cause a pulling or a dull pain in the scrotum. They appear in about 15 percent of males between 15 and 25 years old, and they mostly occur during puberty. A varicocele is usually harmless. Some experts think that in some cases a varicocele might damage the testicle or decrease sperm production. In those cases, a doctor will probably recommend surgery.

What do you look for in a urinalysis? The urinalysis is an examination of the urine, looking for white blood cells (signs of infection), nitrites (infection), protein (infection or kidney problems), glucose (diabetes), ketones (diabetes) and blood (infection or kidney problems). It is a test done in our lab which takes about ten minutes to run.

What is torsion of the testes? Torsion is a twisting of the testes, which cuts off the blood supply to the testes. The testes will be extremely tender and swollen. This is a medical emergency and must be corrected quickly or the testes could be lost.

What is meatal stenosis? Meatal stenosis is when the opening to the penis is very narrowed and can cause problems with urinary stream.

What are penile adhesions? Penile adhesions occur when the foreskin attaches or adheres to the head or glans of the penis.

What is an undescended testicle? An undescended testicle (cryptorchidism) is the failure of one or both testes to descend or "drop down" into the scrotum. It occurs in about one-third of boys who are born prematurely and three percent of term boys. About half of these undescended testicles drop on their own by the first birthday. In other cases they need to be surgically brought down into the scrotum.

What is an absent testicle? An absent testicle is the failure of one or both testes to form during development of a baby before birth.

What are the labia minora?The labia minora are the inner skin folds of female genitalia.

What are the labia majora? The labia majora are the larger, outer skin folds of the female genitalia.

What can you do about adhesions of the labia minora? The treatment for labial adhesions may utilize estrogen cream to thin the skin, followed by vaseline.

What is the glans penis? The glans penis is the cap-shaped end of the penis.

What is the penile corona? The corona of the penis is the rounded ridge of glans penis (tip of the penis).

My son always seems to have some whitish material around the tip of his penis. Is it an infection? No. What you are probably seeing is something called smegma, (whitish lumps of dead skin cells mixed with the body's natural oil). It is harmless.