Arab Board Urology Clinical Exam key terms

A small catheter placed percutaneously through the flank into the renal collecting system to divert urine, relieve obstruction, or access stones when the ureter cannot be stented.

A flexible coiled tube passed endoscopically into the ureter to maintain drainage from kidney to bladder, typically after obstruction, stone surgery, or ureteral injury.

Endoscopic inspection of the ureter and renal pelvis using a thin semi-rigid or flexible scope passed retrogradely via the bladder, used for stone treatment and upper tract diagnostics.

Surgical removal of renal stones through a nephrostomy tract created directly into the kidney under imaging guidance, reserved for large or complex stone burdens.

A large branching kidney stone that fills the renal pelvis and extends into calyces, often struvite-related and frequently requiring percutaneous surgery for clearance.

A magnesium ammonium phosphate calculus formed in urine infected by urease-producing bacteria, producing alkaline urine and often associated with staghorn configuration.

A bacterium such as Proteus that splits urea into ammonia, alkalinising urine and predisposing to struvite and carbonate apatite stone formation.

Excretion of excessive calcium in urine, the commonest metabolic abnormality in stone formers, assessed by 24-hour urine collection and managed with hydration and dietary measures.

Collection of all urine over a day to measure volume, calcium, oxalate, uric acid, citrate, sodium, and pH, guiding targeted prevention of recurrent stones.

Imaging of the upper urinary tract by injecting contrast through a ureteral catheter during cystoscopy, useful when intravenous contrast is contraindicated or excretion is poor.

Dilatation of the renal pelvis and calyces due to obstruction or reflux, seen on ultrasound as fluid-filled spaces within the kidney.

A non-invasive test recording urine flow rate over time during voiding, giving peak flow and flow pattern as a screen for bladder outlet obstruction.

Urodynamic test combining bladder pressure measurement with flow rate during voiding to distinguish detrusor underactivity from outlet obstruction.

Involuntary bladder muscle contractions during filling detected on urodynamics, typically producing urgency and frequency.

A clinical syndrome of urinary urgency, usually with frequency and nocturia, with or without urge incontinence, in the absence of infection or other clear cause.

The volume of urine left in the bladder immediately after voiding, measured by ultrasound or catheterisation and used to assess incomplete emptying.

Inappropriate contraction of the external urethral sphincter during bladder contraction, seen in spinal cord injury, causing high bladder pressures and risk to the upper tracts.

Bladder dysfunction caused by neurological disease or injury, producing patterns of storage or emptying failure that require individualised urodynamic assessment and management.

Regular self-passage of a catheter to empty the bladder, the mainstay of management for incomplete emptying and a key method to protect the upper urinary tract.

Endoscopic removal of obstructing prostate tissue using an electrified loop passed through the urethra, a standard surgical treatment for benign prostatic enlargement.

Endoscopic enucleation of the prostatic adenoma using a holmium laser, with tissue morcellated and removed, offering size-independent relief of obstruction.

Dilutional hyponatraemia and fluid overload caused by absorption of hypotonic irrigant during transurethral resection, presenting with confusion, nausea, and haemodynamic disturbance.

A protein produced by prostate tissue and measured in blood; elevated levels may indicate cancer, benign enlargement, or inflammation, and it is used for screening and monitoring.

Sampling of prostate tissue, usually by transrectal or transperineal needle under imaging guidance, to diagnose or grade suspected prostate cancer.

A histological grading system for prostate cancer based on the two most common architectural patterns, combined into a total score reflecting tumour aggressiveness.

Removal of the entire kidney, often with surrounding fat and sometimes the adrenal, for a large or locally advanced renal tumour.

Removal of a kidney tumour with preservation of the remaining renal parenchyma, preferred for small tumours to retain renal function.

The commonest malignant kidney tumour, arising from tubular epithelium, often asymptomatic and detected on imaging, with surgery the main curative treatment.

Instillation of attenuated mycobacteria into the bladder to stimulate local immunity, used to treat and prevent recurrence of high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Urothelial cancer confined to mucosa or lamina propria without invasion of the detrusor muscle, managed by resection and often intravesical therapy.

Endoscopic removal of a bladder tumour through the urethra, providing diagnosis, staging, and initial treatment for visible disease.

Direct inspection of the urethra and bladder lining with a camera passed through the urethra, used for diagnosis, surveillance, and minor interventions.

Removal of the bladder with pelvic lymph node dissection, usually with urinary diversion, for muscle-invasive or refractory high-risk bladder cancer.

A urinary diversion in which a segment of ileum is used to carry urine from the ureters to a stoma on the abdominal wall, collected in an external bag.

An orthotopic urinary reservoir constructed from bowel and connected to the urethra after cystectomy, allowing voiding per urethra.

Twisting of the spermatic cord causing ischaemia of the testis, presenting with acute severe scrotal pain and requiring urgent detorsion and fixation to save the testis.

Colour-flow imaging used to assess testicular perfusion, helping distinguish torsion with reduced flow from inflammatory causes with increased flow.

Inflammation of the epididymis and testis, usually infective, causing scrotal pain and swelling and managed with antibiotics and supportive care.

A rapidly spreading necrotising fasciitis of the perineum and genitalia, a surgical emergency requiring urgent debridement and broad-spectrum antibiotics.

Narrowing of the urethra due to scarring, causing reduced flow and obstruction; managed by dilatation, urethrotomy, or reconstruction depending on length and site.

Surgical reconstruction of the urethra to correct stricture disease, using anastomotic or graft techniques with better long-term success than repeated endoscopic treatment.

A graft harvested from the inner cheek used in urethral reconstruction to replace scarred urethral tissue, valued for its resilient epithelium and reliable blood supply.

A congenital anomaly in which the urethral opening lies on the ventral penis, often with a curved shaft and hooded foreskin, corrected surgically in early childhood.

Ventral curvature of the penis, congenital or acquired, often accompanying hypospadias and requiring correction during reconstructive surgery.

Retrograde flow of urine from bladder to ureter due to an incompetent ureterovesical junction, predisposing to urinary infection and renal scarring in children.

A congenital obstructing membrane in the posterior urethra of boys, causing bladder outflow obstruction, bilateral hydronephrosis, and risk of renal impairment.

Failure of one or both testes to descend into the scrotum, requiring orchidopexy in early childhood to reduce risks of infertility and malignancy.

Persistent inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual activity, often related to vascular, neurological, or hormonal causes.

A drug class such as sildenafil that enhances penile erection by preventing breakdown of cyclic GMP; contraindicated with nitrates due to risk of severe hypotension.

A prolonged painful erection unrelated to sexual stimulation; ischaemic low-flow priapism is an emergency treated by aspiration or shunt surgery to prevent fibrosis.

Dilatation of the pampiniform plexus of veins, usually left-sided, associated with impaired testicular function and a surgically correctable cause of male infertility.

Laboratory assessment of ejaculate volume, concentration, motility, and morphology, the core initial test in evaluating male infertility.

A plain abdominal radiograph covering kidneys, ureters, and bladder, used to detect radio-opaque stones and check stent position.

Low-dose computed tomography of the kidneys, ureters, and bladder without contrast, the most sensitive test for urinary stones and the standard for renal colic.

A surgically created arteriovenous connection, usually in the forearm, that provides high-flow access for haemodialysis.

A central venous catheter tunnelled under the skin for haemodialysis access, used when a fistula is not yet mature or unavailable.

Immune-mediated injury to a transplanted kidney, classified as hyperacute, acute, or chronic, monitored by creatinine trends and managed with immunosuppression.

A classification of kidney injury severity based on imaging findings such as laceration depth and vascular injury, guiding decisions between observation and surgery.

Passage of a tube through the urethra into the bladder to drain urine, used for retention, monitoring, or bladder irrigation.

Administration of antibiotics before invasive urological procedures to reduce surgical site and urinary infection, tailored to procedure risk and local resistance patterns.