Clinical Programs

Bladder Exstrophy is a diagnosis that in the first days and months can seem overwhelming to families. At UNC Pediatric Urology, our goal is to educate parents about this diagnosis, to provide expert advice, and ultimately to help the parent become an expert. We have been treating infants and children born with Bladder Exstrophy for over 30 years. UNC supports the “B.E.Kids”, a group of families whose children were born with Bladder Exstrophy. They welcome all children and families affected by Bladder Exstrophy to be part of this support group. They meet during the year for social events and individual parents are available to visit with new families in the hospital if desired. This group has a private page on social media that can be accessed upon invitation and serves as a forum for support and sharing of concerns and successes. The experts in Pediatric Urology, Pediatric Orthopedics, and Pediatric Voiding Dysfunction have extensive experience in caring for the newborn, older child and young adult. There is no question that Exstrophy is a complex diagnosis requiring a knowledgeable and dedicated team of physicians, nurses and support staff for quality care. We work together to ensure your child has the best medical care and a happy, healthy life.

Intersex and Disorders of Sex Development group includes families and their infants, children, adolescents and young adults. These complicated situations can be stressful to all involved. At UNC we have compiled a team of over 20 Health care providers in Pediatric Urology, Pediatric Endocrinology, Pediatrics, Pediatric Genetics, Pediatric Surgery, Reproductive Endocrinology and Fertility, Pediatric Radiology, Pediatric Psychology, Ethics, and Social work. Our multi-disciplinary team focuses on the immediate needs of the child and family but also aggressively considers the future. Our goal is to help the family understand this situation and reduce the anxiety that is often present with these complex diagnoses. We believe that support of all members of the family, not just the child results in the best outcome. If you would like to speak with a member of our team, please call 1-919-962-PURO. For urgent request 24/7, please call 984-974-1000 and ask for the Pediatric Urology resident on call.

We have seen numerous children look on with surprised curiosity instead of fear when a pleasant little kid just like themselves does it with a smile on their face. These “kids helping kids” remember the days when they first started. We, the physicians and parents, let the conversations and questions drift back and forth between the kids at the children’s level of understanding. Not adding special “adult” words or questions to the conversation on our part. We have seen children who would never consider cathing all of a sudden just start doing it right then, that day. Our program is designed since “Kids” often can do what we adults cannot. If you feel your child may benefit from our “Kids Helping Kids” program, please contact us at 919-962-PURO.

Our multi-disciplinary team is supported by UNC Children’s Hospital and includes fellowship-trained specialists in the areas of Pediatric Urology, Pediatric Nephrology, Pediatric Urology, and Child Nutrition. The team also includes professionals in the fields of Psychology and Nursing who focus on the care of your child. Children affected by stone disease (nephrolithiasis) are not simply “small adults” and treatment must be tailored to their individual needs. Many children have unique anatomical abnormalities or metabolic conditions that must first be diagnosed and addressed as part of the treatment of their stone disease. Our goal is to treat the stone and the associated pain as appropriate, evaluate the child metabolically and prevent any future stone formation. The focus of our multidisciplinary approach will address all the facets of kidney stone management. If your child has a kidney stone causing symptoms of pain or infection, or a history of stone disease, and you would like to see one of our Pediatric Urologists, please call 919-962-PURO for an appointment.

At UNC Children’s Hospital, the UNC Division of Pediatric Urology, along with our Infertility specialist, our colleagues in Reproductive Endocrinology, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Pediatric Surgery, Pediatric Endocrinology and Pediatric Nephrology have developed a program for families to discuss the potential for fertility preservation for their child. We offer counseling and education, as well as sperm and egg harvesting and options for long-term storage so parents can make informed decisions about fertility preservation for their child. There is no obligation to proceed with retrieval. However, if you would like to learn more about fertility preservation for your child, please contact our office at 919-962-PURO to schedule a counseling appointment.

The clinic is held at our UNC Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation physical therapy clinic, which is specially designed for easy access for children with walkers, wheelchairs and other special needs. Pediatric Urology uses a combination of radiological imaging, urodynamics, laboratory evaluation and clinical progress to offer the very best management of your child’s urinary system. Our goal is for your child is to have healthy kidneys with the best bladder function possible. If you would like to make an appointment for your child to be seen in our Multidisciplinary Clinic or if you would like to make an appointment with Pediatric Urology, please call 1-919-966-8812 or 1-919-962-PURO.

We work closely with our Maternal-Fetal Medicine team as well as other pediatric specialists to inform and counsel parents about their child’s diagnosis. Your Pediatric Urologist will review radiological imaging and discuss the potential diagnosis, plans for prenatal management and post-delivery care. Our goal is to inform and educate parents so they can make the best-informed decision for their family and child and better understand their child’s diagnosis. If you would like to make an appointment for prenatal counseling with our Pediatric Urologist, please call 1-919-962-PURO. We also accept referrals from Obstetricians and Maternal-Fetal Medicine.

The Division of Pediatric Urology at UNC is proud to offer state of the art minimally invasive surgery for urological abnormalities requiring repair. We have available both Intuitive Surgical Da Vinci Xi (multi-port) and SP (single-port) systems. Advantages of robotic surgery include smaller incisions, less pain, less time spent in the hospital after your operation, and less time spent recovering from surgery and returning to your child’s normal activity level. While not all urologic surgeries in children are appropriate for robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery, Dr. Arora will review your child’s surgical needs and if appropriate, discuss the option of robot-assisted surgery. Procedures that are commonly treated with a robotic approach include pyeloplasty, uretero-ureterostomy, partial- or hemi- or radical nephrectomy, and ureteral reimplant to name a few. Our goal is to provide education and counseling to parents about their child’s diagnosis and to discuss advantages and disadvantages of each surgical approach. If you would like to discuss your child’s diagnosis and explore the option for robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery, please call 919-962-PURO (7876) for an appointment.

UNC Pediatric Urology, Pediatric Orthopedics, and Pediatric Surgery have created a Cloacal Exstrophy team to treat the special children born with this anomaly. Our team works together to offer prenatal counseling for parents and to plan post-natal care, surgical repair, and post-operative care. We aggressively combine efforts to ensure the best possible outcome for children born with cloacal exstrophy. Our team follows children closely to manage bladder and bowel function, address orthopedic concerns and identify other needs for the family and child as these children mature. It is truly an honor to work with children born with this rare abnormality and their families. If your fetus or child has cloacal exstrophy and you would like to meet with our team, please call 1-919-962-PURO for an appointment.

Some children have only one symptom while others have a combination of these symptoms. Children may also have stooling issues such as constipation or soiling in addition to urinary symptoms. UNC Pediatric Urology understands how frustrating this can be to families and especially to the children. We have developed a Voiding Dysfunction Clinic with extended appointment times to address your child’s needs with the goal to eliminate these symptoms. We utilize parental education, clinical evaluation, radiological imaging, and when appropriate, urodynamics and our Pediatric Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy program to assist these children with their wetting and soiling problems. If you would like to make an appointment with one of our Pediatric Urologist in our Voiding Dysfunction clinic, please call 919-962- PURO.